Lzh Mu Bu Vb Pc 34Eating More After Refusing an Invitation
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pavāraṇā
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Discourse on Eating More After Refusing an Invitation
Background
Pavāraṇā (Pāli: pa-va-ra-nā, meaning “refusal” or “declining”) is a prohibition in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This discourse appears in the Pācittiya section, the minor prohibitions, reflecting detailed rules concerning the eating behavior of bhikkhus in the Sangha community.
The historical background of this rule is related to practical circumstances in the life of practice. Bhikkhus often received meal invitations from laypeople or local communities. Yet there were times when a bhikkhu needed to refuse an invitation for reasons of health, practice, or ethical principles. This discourse clearly regulates conduct after such refusal, in order to maintain transparency and respect for the kindness of donors.
Main Content
The specific prohibition is this: if a bhikkhu has refused a meal invitation (pavāraṇā), that is, has declared that he does not wish to eat on that occasion, but afterward still eats more or eats at another time after the main meal has ended, he commits a Pācittiya offense.
This rule does not arise merely from concern about overeating or greed, but from the principle of truthfulness and discipline. When a bhikkhu refuses an invitation, that is a clear commitment to the donor regarding his intention. If he then eats more afterward, this creates a contradiction: the donor may feel deceived, and the honor of the Sangha community may be diminished.
This Vinaya text is also related to the concepts of “bhojane” (main food) and “paribhojane” (secondary food). A bhikkhu is permitted to eat only at the proper time, from sunrise until noon, and any further eating after he has refused may violate both the principle of the proper time for eating and the principle of truthfulness.
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