San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Sk 64Licking the Bowl

The Sutta on Licking the Bowl (Pattanillehaka Sutta)

Background

The Sutta on Licking the Bowl belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon in the Early Buddhist tradition. It is a text on the discipline of monks and nuns, recording inappropriate conduct and the rules that regulate the actions of renunciants.

This sutta records an event that occurred in the monastic community of the Buddha. Some monks did not properly observe the rules of eating etiquette and conduct at meals. Specifically, some monks licked the bowl after the meal, conduct unsuitable for the mind of one gone forth and capable of causing discomfort to lay supporters.

In the context of a Buddhist monastery, rules concerning conduct with food and bowls are not only matters of hygiene or etiquette, but also reflect the mental state of the practitioner: craving for food, lack of heedfulness (appamāda), and lack of freedom from slavery to the senses.

Main Content

After this conduct was reported to him, the Buddha spoke in instruction. The sutta records that the Buddha forbade monks from licking the bowl after finishing their meal. This was regarded as conduct unworthy of the title of monk (bhikkhu), because it arises from the mind of greed (lobha) and lack of composure and mindfulness.

The reason given by the Buddha is very profound: a practitioner should not allow the senses, such as taste (rasa-indriya), to govern his actions. The act of licking the bowl, though small, reveals a mind still bound by desire. It is also unsuitable to the image of a renunciant who has abandoned ordinary attachments.

Furthermore, the sutta emphasizes that such conduct affects not only the individual practitioner, but also leaves a poor impression on those who see it, causing them to lose faith in the teaching. This is why the Buddha regarded these small actions as very important and in need of strict regulation.