Bi Pc 11. The training rule on eating garlic
Pāli / Sanskrit:Lasuṇa
A nun who eats raw garlic must confess the offense. This rule includes the Suvaṇṇahaṁsa Jātaka tale, “the Golden goose Jātaka,” found in slightly different form in the Jātaka collection.
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The Scripture on Eating Garlic — Lasuṇa Pāṭimokkha
Background
This training rule appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha — the code of discipline for female monastics (bhikkhunīs). The Pāṭimokkha is a collection of fundamental training rules that each monastic must uphold daily. These rules were formulated in response to specific situations within the early monastic community, when the Buddha Gotama and his disciples identified actions that exerted a negative influence on the spirit of practice or on the collective moral life.
The rule concerning the eating of raw garlic (lasuṇa) was established because this food has the quality of stimulating sensual desires and possesses a strong odor capable of disturbing those nearby. In a monastic setting, where practitioners live in close proximity and engage in meditation, the smell of raw garlic can become an obstacle to mental concentration. The text is accompanied by a story from the Suvaṇṇahaṁsa Jātaka (the Golden Goose tale), one of the stories of the Buddha's former lives, which illuminates the deeper ethical principle underlying this rule.
Main Content
According to the Pāṭimokkha, any bhikkhunī who eats raw garlic — fresh garlic that has not been cooked — must confess this offense. The offense is classified as Pācittiya — one of the categories of transgression requiring confession and repentance before the monastic community (saṅgha). The consequence is not expulsion or denial of meals, but rather the public acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and a spirit of repentance, so as to restore harmonious relations within the community.
The story of the Suvaṇṇahaṁsa Jātaka is cited to explain the deeper spirit of the rule. In this story, a golden goose dwelt by the sea. It had once eaten raw garlic, and whenever it attempted to fly, it could not soar to great heights. The smell of the garlic bound it down. Only when it abandoned this habit was it able to fly freely into the lofty realms above.
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