Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Pc 31Eating Successive Meals

Paramparabhojana Sutta (Eating Successive Meals)

Background

Paramparabhojana is a Pācittiya rule in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, recorded in the law codes of the early Buddhist schools. It arose from a specific event when bhikkhus in the Buddha’s time behaved in a way that was not in accord with wisdom, concentration, and restraint in eating.

The historical background shows that a group of bhikkhus repeatedly accepted food from different people within the same meal period, from early morning until the sun reached a certain height, resulting in consumption beyond the actual needs of a practitioner. The Buddha, with clear understanding of the practice and of the stewardship of the Sangha’s common resources, established this rule to encourage diligence in training against greed (lobha) and in maintaining a pure mind.

This belongs to the broader context of dietary rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka, reflecting the Middle Way often emphasized by the Buddha: avoiding both severe self-mortification and descent into sensual pleasure.

Main Content

Paramparabhojana forbids bhikkhus from eating successive meals (paramparabhojana) from different houses without a valid reason. Specifically, if a bhikkhu receives food from one householder and then later receives food from another householder during the same meal period, this is considered a violation of the Pācittiya rule.

This rule does not apply in exceptional cases, such as when a bhikkhu goes on almsround according to the proper rule and several householders voluntarily make offerings, or when there are special circumstances such as illness, the rains retreat (vassa), or communal work of the Sangha. Nevertheless, the general principle remains restraint and the avoidance of forming a habit of eating many meals from different sources.

The consequence of violating this rule is that the fault must be confessed before the Sangha (pāpattika).