San Sarv Bu Pm Finot 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.
Vikālabhojana Discourse: Eating Outside the Proper Time
Background
Vikālabhojana is a paccaya, a rule, in the Theravada Vinaya Piṭaka tradition, specifically belonging to the Pātimokkha, the code of discipline, and serves to regulate the daily conduct of bhikkhus. This rule reflects the Buddha's profound understanding of the nature of the human body and mind, as well as the connection between diet and the process of practice.
In the early days of the Teaching, bhikkhus lived by alms. However, eating at disorderly times not only caused health problems, but also created opportunities for becoming absorbed in cooking, preparing food, and seeking unusual and delicious foods. This became a direct obstacle to the fading of craving (lobha) and the cultivation of calm concentration. The Buddha therefore established the Vikālabhojana rule in order to set discipline concerning the time of eating.
Main Content
According to the Theravada Vinaya Piṭaka, bhikkhus are permitted to eat meals during the proper time (kāla), that is, from sunrise until about midday, around twelve noon. From that time until the next morning is considered vikāla, outside the proper time. Eating any substantial food during vikāla is regarded as a Pācittiya offense, a violation requiring confession.
This rule contains considerable wisdom. The period after noon is reserved for higher activities of practice: meditation, chanting, and reflection on the Dharma. Eating heavily in the afternoon or evening makes the body feel heavy and the mind become drowsy and difficult to concentrate. Moreover, this rule helps prevent craving for food, which is a seed of suffering (dukkha), because bhikkhus must learn to adapt to limitation and thereby train in non-greed.
However, the Vinaya also allows the drinking of non-nutritive liquids, such as water, tea, or diluted milk, outside the proper time.
🌏 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.