Lzh Mu Bi Vb Sk 66Licking the Bowl
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pattanillehaka
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THE SUTRA ON LICKING THE BOWL (PATTANILLEHAKA)
Background
The Sutra on Licking the Bowl belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically the Bummajjaniya Khandhaka, the chapter on rules related to eating and drinking. This is one of the disciplinary regulations for the community of monks and nuns, reflecting the spirit of practice and the restraint of desire in the Buddha's teaching.
In the Buddha's time, the Sangha followed the principle of moderate eating. More than that, conduct toward food was an expression of a purified mind and respect for the Dharma. This sutra was recorded to admonish bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs concerning the act of "licking the bowl" (pattanillehaka), that is, using the tongue or hand to lick or scrape the bowl clean after eating.
Main Content
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Buddha forbids bhikkhus to lick or scrape bowls clean with the tongue or hand in an excessively greedy manner. This is not because the food is unclean, but because the action reflects a mentality of excessive craving (taṇhā) toward food.
When a monk acts in this way, his mind has not yet been freed from attachment and craving. He appears to be still agitated by desire after the meal has ended. By contrast, a true monastic should know how to stop at the right time and not allow the mind to be controlled by taste or greed for food.
This rule belongs within the context of the regulations on "self-restraint independent of material things" (bhikkhu-indriya-saṃvara) and "purity of conduct" (sīla). Every movement in the life of a monastic has the purpose of training the mind and building the roots of virtue.
Practical Meaning
The Sutra on Licking the Bowl teaches us attentiveness to every detail in daily life. The purpose of this sutra is not to criticize the eating of rice, but to remind us of the relationship between material action and mental state.
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