San Mg Bu Pm Sk 28Stuffing Cheeks
Pāli / Sanskrit:Avagaṇḍakāraka
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Avagaṇḍakāraka Sutta (The Sutta on Stuffing the Cheeks)
Background
The Avagaṇḍakāraka Sutta (Pāli: avagaṇḍa = cheek, kāraka = making) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Saṁyutta Nikāya of the Bhikkhunī Vinaya. This sutta reflects disciplinary rules related to the act of dispersing food by stuffing it into the cheeks, a behavior considered improper in the community of bhikkhunis.
The background arose when there were nuns who displayed improper eating behavior, specifically trying to conceal or store food by stuffing it into the cheeks rather than swallowing normally. The Buddha used this occasion to give a warning about the importance of awareness, moderation, and respect toward the proper practice of eating within the Sangha body.
Main Content
This sutta states that the act of stuffing the cheeks, avagaṇḍakārakaṁ, is regarded as a violation of the spirit of practice in the Buddha’s Dharma. This is not only a matter of conduct with food, but is deeply related to the three trainings (Trisikkhā): morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).
When a bhikkhuni stuffs food into her cheeks, this act expresses a lack of understanding of the nature of eating, a basic activity regulated in the Pātimokkha, the Fundamental Code. Conscious and proper consumption of food is a part of practical cultivation here and now (idha-tattha-abhinihāra).
The Vinaya clearly teaches that monastics must eat at the prescribed time, with care and respect. Stuffing the cheeks is an evasion of this awareness, a dishonesty toward oneself. The sutta declares that nuns who violate this rule must receive admonition and be required to correct their conduct.
Practical Meaning
Although this rule was recorded for the Sangha body in the Buddha’s time, its deeper meaning goes beyond the historical context.
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