Mpt Pc 37Eating at the Wrong Time
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vikālabhojana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Discourse on Eating at the Wrong Time (Vikālabhojana)
Mpt Pc 37 - Theravāda Vinaya
Background
In the Theravāda tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of rules of conduct established by the Buddha Gotama for the monastic community, in order to cultivate stability, preserve harmony, and develop the spiritual life. These rules are not imposed restrictions, but guidelines that help practitioners overcome the obstacles usually produced by desire.
The rule concerning eating at the wrong time (vikālabhojana) is mentioned in the Pācittiya section (offenses requiring confession) of the Vinaya. This reflects the Buddha's deep understanding of the relationship between body, mind, and spiritual life. This rule does not arise from mechanical religious notions, but from practical observations of how eating habits affect consciousness and the capacity for practice.
Main Content
Vikālabhojana (eating at an improper time) is defined as eating solid food outside the permitted time, that is, after noon until dawn the following day. In the Theravāda training tradition, maintaining discipline with respect to mealtimes is an essential part of the basic five precepts (pañca-sīla) for foundational practitioners, and is especially important for bhikkhus.
The Buddha explained that eating at the "proper" time, from early morning until noon, accords with daily activities: teaching the Dharma, study, work, and meditation. By contrast, eating in the evening or at night tends to stimulate digestion, disturb sleep, and disrupt the quiet mental mood needed for deep meditation.
This rule is not a moral judgment but a practical recognition: eating at the wrong time can lead to attachment through greed (lobha), diminish independence (parinissaggavara), and make the functioning of the monastic community more difficult.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.