Bi Pd 77. Asking for milk
Pāli / Sanskrit:Khīraviññāpana
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Khīraviññāpana - Asking for Milk
Background
The Khīraviññāpana (Asking for Milk) belongs to the Bhikkhunī Padāna — the section on Origins within the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. These are accounts recording events related to the formulation, amendment, or interpretation of the rules of the Monastic Code (Pātimokkha) within the Buddhist Sangha.
This text records the historical context during the time when the Buddha was still present among his disciples. During that period, the Sangha needed to establish regulations in order to maintain discipline, protect the honor of the Community, and cultivate confidence among the lay people. The matter of "asking for milk" is presented as reflecting a practical situation that arose in the monastic life of the monks and nuns, pertaining to the manner of receiving and using food — an important aspect of the ascetic life.
Main Content
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, matters such as asking for milk are addressed according to the principle that all such cases fall under the scope of the Pātimokkha (Sabbasaṅgāni Pātimokkhasañcaraṇāni). This text records the situation in which a monk or a group of monks had need to ask for milk from relatives or benefactors, or in which asking for milk could give rise to actions likely to create misunderstanding regarding the true nature of the renunciant's practice.
The Buddha, through his wisdom, taught that monks and nuns should not actively request special foods such as milk beyond what is offered through the alms round. This was not because milk is forbidden, but because such a request could become a manifestation of greed for gain or could undermine the purity of mind essential to spiritual cultivation. This regulation also serves to protect the humility and spiritual independence of those who have gone forth.
The text as recorded does not constitute an absolute prohibition, but rather a careful weighing of the needs of bodily health against those of spiritual practice. Milk, though nutritionally beneficial, may be regarded as inappropriate to request actively, as doing so would be inconsistent with the ethics of one who has gone forth according to the teaching of the Buddha.
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