San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Pc 38Storing Food
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sannidhikāraka
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An Explanation of the Sannidhikāraka Text (Storing Food)
Background
The Sannidhikāraka text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically within the Pātimokkha, the basic ethical rules for bhikkhus. The Vinaya was laid down by the Buddha Gotama himself as a system of training to maintain purity in the Sangha community and to help disciples practice the path to awakening.
This text appears in the context of the daily life of bhikkhus in monasteries (vihāra). As Buddhist monastic practice developed, practical issues concerning the management of property, especially food, became questions requiring clear regulation. The Buddha recognized that a proper attitude toward the use of requisites and food was not only an economic matter, but also reflected the degree of mindfulness and the nature of practice.
Main Content
The Sannidhikāraka text (from Pāli sannidhikāraka, “matters connected with storing”) discusses the regulations governing how bhikkhus are permitted to store and keep food as well as daily requisites. These rules are not intended to create hardship, but to remove actions that may contain latent greed, defensiveness, or the tendency to accumulate unnecessary possessions.
Specifically, the text states that a bhikkhu should not store too much food, beyond what is reasonably needed for consumption within a short period. This has deep meaning: it prevents the growth of craving (lobha), one of the three unwholesome poisons (akusala) in Buddhism. When one stores excessively, the mind begins to worry about loss or to develop a need to protect what has been stored, thereby creating the thought of possession (mamattā), the attitude “this is mine.”
These regulations apply to all kinds of items a bhikkhu is permitted to possess: robes, the almsbowl, basic medical implements, and especially food.
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