Lzh Mi Bu Vb Sk 56Licking the Bowl

Sutta on Licking the Bowl (Pattanillehaka)

Context

The Sutta on Licking the Bowl belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhist tradition, specifically among the Sikkhāpada, the training rules. The Vinaya Piṭaka records in detail the disciplinary rules that monks and nuns must observe, in order to protect spiritual life, preserve harmony in the community of practice, and nurture the basic virtues of the Buddhist path.

This text concerns an action that seems small but has deep meaning in terms of mindfulness, restraint, and respect for material things. In the Buddha’s time, monks and nuns lived according to principles of austerity, self-sufficiency regarding food, and non-wastefulness. The act of licking the bowl after a meal is a concrete expression of how human beings relate to property, food, and seemingly small matters in daily life.

Main Content

The Sutta on Licking the Bowl addresses a disciplinary matter concerning the attitude of monks and nuns toward food and monastic property. Specifically, this text refers to actions such as licking the rice bowl, licking the hands, or licking other parts to get all remaining food. Although this action may arise from the spirit of not wasting, the Buddha and the elders pointed out that licking the bowl publicly, or doing so with an attitude of “greed for food,” could create unfavorable impressions of monastics and diminish the respect of people.

The Vinaya Piṭaka states that monks and nuns should not lick bowls or eating utensils in public, because this behavior appears lacking in refinement and is not fitting to the dignity of those who have gone forth. Yet the important point is internal: this text teaches that discipline is not only about outward action, but also about managing craving, sharing, and maintaining a proper attitude toward human material needs.