Xct Mu Bi Pc 142Garlic
Pāli / Sanskrit:Lasuṇa
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Garlic Sutra (Lasuṇa Sutta)
Background
The Garlic Sutra is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Mahāvagga of the Vinaya Piṭaka. This is the discipline section of Theravāda Buddhism, guiding the monastic community regarding rules of communal life. The text is used to establish and protect the conditions for harmonious communal living in the Sangha (Saṅgha).
The content of the text concerns regulations about food in the monastic community, specifically the use of garlic and substances with strong odors. This text is not about absolute taboos, but about standards that help maintain the purity of the monastic community and respect in collective practice.
Main Content
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Buddha gave guidance on the use of garlic and materials with strong odors within the Sangha community. These regulations were established on the basis of not disturbing the concentration of other monastics in meditation (jhāna) and feeling (vedanā).
Garlic (lasuṇa) is regarded as a highly stimulating food, with a strong odor that can easily cause distraction. According to the rules of the Vinaya Piṭaka, monks and nuns should not eat raw garlic, or should avoid it in certain circumstances, because first, the smell of garlic is unsuitable for communal life where people live closely together; second, ancient teachers believed that raw garlic tends to increase craving (lobha) and distraction, and does not support the quiet needed for meditation.
These regulations are recorded in the sections of the Vinaya Piṭaka to guide the monastic community in living according to the highest ethical standards (sīla). The rule is not an absolute commandment but a part of collective ethics (saṃgha-sīla), helping to create a harmonious social environment.
Practical Meaning
The deeper meaning of the Garlic Sutra does not lie in the food itself, but in the principle of choice and mindfulness (sati) in every action.
🌏 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.