Lzh Mu Bu Pm Sk 79Licking the Bowl
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pattanillehaka
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LICKING THE BOWL SUTTA (Pattanillehaka)
Background
The Pattanillehaka Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, recording the disciplinary rules (Vinaya) that the Buddha established for monks and nuns. This discourse reflects a specific situation in the process of formulating the discipline, when bhikkhus violated customs related to simplicity and dignity in eating.
The background arose from an incident at Sāvatthī, where the Buddha often resided. Some monks had the habit of licking the bowl after eating, with the purpose of not wasting food. At first, this action might be regarded as a practice of humility and frugality. However, the Buddha saw that this behavior reflected a state of excessive fondness for food and lack of restraint among the monks, and thus they were recognized as violating rules concerning heedfulness.
Main Content
The discourse says that bhikkhus who lick the bowl after eating are considered to be acting contrary to the spirit of the Sangha’s practice. The Buddha points out that this behavior expresses excessive greed for food, one of the habits of those who have not practiced mindfulness properly. In particular, publicly licking the bowl shows a lack of self-awareness in the act of eating.
According to the Buddha’s teaching, true monastics should eat just enough to maintain health and strength, not eating out of pleasure or greed. The alms bowl is only what is necessary to nourish the body in service of practice. When finished eating, a monastic should let go of food completely, not seek to obtain every last grain by licking the bowl. This is regarded as equivalent to the mentality of those who have not gone forth or have not practiced properly.
The Buddha therefore established a rule: bhikkhus may not lick the bowl after eating. This rule is recorded as part of the Pātimokkha, the rules of self-training, and as training content for cultivating inner discipline.
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