Bi Pc 120120. Eating at the wrong time
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vikālabhojana
A nun who eats between noon and dawn must confess the offense.
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Vikālabhojana: Eating Outside the Designated Time
Background
In the Theravāda tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of training rules that the Buddha established to govern the community of ordained monastics, both monks and nuns. Each rule has its origin in a specific situation, recorded so that later disciples may follow and maintain discipline in their practice.
The Vikālabhojana (eating outside the designated time) belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha — the list of 311 rules that nuns are required to observe. This rule falls under the category of Pācittiya (rules requiring confession), that is, offences that call for a verbal confession when transgressed, but do not result in expulsion from the monastic community.
This rule arose from the historical circumstance in which certain nuns were eating outside the permitted time, causing distraction in meditation and running counter to the principles of the monastic training life. The Buddha took the occasion to lay down this rule of discipline in order to regulate such conduct.
Main Content
According to the regulations of the Vinaya Piṭaka, nuns (as well as monks) are not permitted to eat or drink anything (other than water) during the period from midday until the following dawn — a period known as "vikāla" (the wrong time). The permitted time for eating is from sunrise until the sun reaches its zenith at midday.
If a nun transgresses this rule — that is, if she intentionally consumes solid food or drinks nutritive liquids outside the designated time — she must perform a confession (Pācittiya). This confession does not constitute expulsion or entail severe penalties, but rather serves as a means by which the offender acknowledges her fault, expresses remorse, and commits herself not to repeat the action.
This rule applies to all nuns, regardless of their status or experience in practice. In addition, specific provisions concerning which foods and beverages are permitted in the afternoon (such as water and non-nutritive teas) are detailed in other sections of the canonical texts.
Practical Significance
The rule concerning eating outside the designated time is not merely an arbitrary restriction; it expresses the profound principles underlying Buddhist Dharma practice.
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