Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Sk 82Eating in Order
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sapadāna
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Sapadāna Sutta: Explanation of Eating in Order
Background
The Sapadāna Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon of the Early Buddhist tradition. This is the section setting forth rules concerning the way the Buddhist Sangha eats, reflecting cultivation in the smallest details of daily life. These disciplinary discourses are not unreasonable restrictions, but guidance that helps ascetics and bhikkhus nurture mindfulness, reduce greed, and build habits that support the work of the path.
During the Buddha’s lifetime, he and the Sangha lived according to the principle of “receiving one meal, not drinking liquor today, not enjoying music.” The regulations concerning eating were established gradually, not all at once, but as responses to specific situations arising in the life of practice. The Sapadāna Sutta is one of these detailed regulations, focusing on eating rice, a basic action but one full of meaning in Buddhism.
Main Content
“Sapadāna” (তسাদ + দান = in order, gracefully) instructs that when bhikkhus receive rice from donors, they must do so according to a specific order, without greed, selectiveness, or improper action. The discourse stipulates that when going on almsround, monks must keep the mind calm and should not let the mind wander or long for particular kinds of rice, soup, or unusual delicacies.
Specifically, the Sapadāna rules include: one must not specify in advance the kind of rice or dish one wants; one must receive what donors provide with purity; one must not be discourteous while eating, such as turning about, digging into the rice, or eating too quickly or too slowly; one must stop eating when one sees that it is enough, and should not eat so much that the body becomes heavy.
In particular, the discourse emphasizes that eating is not for satisfying the palate or craving, but for nourishing health so as to continue practice. Eating “in order” (sapadāna) also means eating in such a way that food does not become an obstacle, that the mind does not focus on delicious taste, and that greed does not arise.
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