Xct Mu Bi Sk 44Not prefer one taste

The Scripture “One Should Not Prefer One Taste” (Not Prefer One Taste)

Background

The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of sacred rules and guidelines for the Theravāda Buddhist community of monks and nuns. The scripture “One Should Not Prefer One Taste” arises from the context of the Buddha guiding the Sangha on how to conduct itself with regard to food, especially in the context of maintaining equality and non-discrimination within the community of practice.

According to the Theravāda tradition, factors such as preference for taste and special care for one person over another can lead to disharmony in the community of monks and nuns. The Buddha always warned against the roots of greed (lobha) and hatred (dosa), among which preference and partiality are subtle forms.

Main Content

The specific content of this scripture has not been fully translated in the provided descriptive information. However, based on the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the principle of “not preferring one taste” (anekasacca or similar) relates to the instruction that members of the Sangha should not prefer or show bias toward a particular flavor, or toward a particular monastic.

This understanding reflects a profound Buddhist principle: the transcendence of a person intent on learning does not lie in bodily needs such as special tastes, but in the cultivation of the mind. A monk or nun should not focus excessively on dietary conditions or particular kinds of food, because this can become an obstacle to concentration (samādhi).

The scripture teaches that having no preference, not being partial toward any taste or any material condition, is also a way of nurturing the perception of impermanence (aniccasaññā) and helping the practitioner understand more deeply the unstable nature of all things.

Practical Meaning

For a practitioner of Theravāda Buddhism today, this scripture suggests an important way of examining the relationship between discrimination (saṅkappa) and non-discrimination (nicca).