Bi Sk 5353. Licking the almsbowl

COMMENTARY ON "PATTANILLEHAKA" (Bi SK 53)

Background

The "Pattanillehaka" belongs to the Sekhiya Dhamma (Rules of Training), an important section of the Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. The Sekhiyas comprise 75 training rules concerning deportment, conduct, and manners for monks, designed to maintain the dignity of the Sangha and to inspire confidence in laypeople.

This fifty-third training rule was laid down by the Buddha in the context of certain monks displaying undignified behavior during mealtime—specifically, the act of licking the almsbowl (patta-nillehaka) in a manner unbecoming of those who have gone forth from the household life. In Indian society during the Buddha's time, one's conduct at meals was also a reflection of one's cultivation and upbringing. For monastics, every gesture in daily life is a means of manifesting the true Dhamma and of inspiring reverence toward the Triple Gem.

When laypeople offer food, they are not merely offering material goods; they offer with minds of faith and devotion. If monks receive and consume food without dignity, this may damage the confidence and pure faith of the donors, and at the same time diminish the respect accorded to the Sangha.

Main Content

The Pattanillehaka training rule stipulates that a monk should not lick his almsbowl while eating. This is one of the Sekhiya rules belonging to the category of rules concerning deportment (ācāra), which are more in the nature of guidelines for training than strict prohibitions.

The core principle of this training rule is to teach monks to eat with mindfulness (sati-sampajañña), with clear comprehension and composure. In the Theravāda tradition, taking a meal is not merely a matter of nourishing the body; it is part of meditative practice. Each mouthful should be received with a sense of gratitude, with reflection on its purpose—not out of craving but for the sustenance of the body in support of the practice—and consumed with full decorum.

The act of licking the almsbowl is regarded as a lack of composure, an expression of greed for pleasant flavors, or an absence of mindfulness in eating. The Vinaya emphasizes that a monk should partake of food in a measured way, neither with excessive attachment nor with carelessness. When the meal is finished, if food remains stuck in the bowl, it should be washed clean rather than licked with the tongue.

Sekhiya rules such as this one help to form a disciplined way of life (vinaya), in which even the smallest action becomes an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness and self-mastery. The Buddha taught that those who have gone forth must be a bright example of virtue and dignified conduct for the entire world.

Practical Significance

Although the Pattanillehaka training rule belongs to the Vinaya, it carries deep meaning for meditative practice. Eating with mindfulness (bhojane mattaññutā) is one of the important practices in the contemplative life. When one eats mindfully, the practitioner clearly knows each movement, each feeling, and each mental state that arises, thereby developing insight into impermanence, suffering, and non-self.