Bi Ss 55. Receiving food with lust
Pāli / Sanskrit:Avassutāavassutassa
A lustful nun who receives food from a lustful man is to be suspended.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Nuns’ Analysis
The chapter on offenses entailing suspension 5. Receiving food with lust
Origin story
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time there was a beautiful nun called Sundarīnandā. When people saw her in the dining hall, they gave her the best food, both the donors and the recipient having lust. Sundarīnandā ate as much as she liked, but not so the other nuns.
The nuns of few desires complained and criticized her, “How could Venerable Sundarīnandā, being lustful, eat either fresh or cooked food after receiving it directly from a lustful man?” … “Is it true, monks, that the nun Sundarīnandā did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked her … “How could Sundarīnandā, being lustful, eat either fresh or cooked food after receiving it directly from a lustful man? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, the nuns should recite this training rule like this:
Final ruling
‘If a lustful nun eats fresh or cooked food after receiving it directly from a lustful man, then that nun too has committed an immediate offense entailing sending away and suspension.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Nun: … The nun who has been given the full ordination in unanimity by both Sanghas through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of nun is meant in this case.
Lustful: having lust, longing for, in love with. Lustful: having lust, longing for, in love with. Man: a human male, not a male spirit, not a male ghost, not a male animal.
He understands and is capable of having lust. Fresh food: apart from the five cooked foods, water, and tooth cleaners, the rest is called “fresh food”. Cooked food: there are five kinds of cooked food: cooked grain, porridge, flour products, fish, and meat.
If she receives fresh or cooked food with the intention of eating it, she commits a serious offense. For every mouthful swallowed, she commits an offense entailing suspension. That too: this is said with reference to the preceding offenses.
An immediate offense: there is an offense as soon as the misconduct is committed, and no pressing is required. Entailing sending away: she is sent away from the Sangha. Suspension: …
Therefore, too, it is called an offense entailing suspension.
Permutations
If she receives water or a tooth cleaner, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
If only the man has lust, and she receives fresh or cooked food with the intention of eating it, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
For every mouthful swallowed, she commits a serious offense. If she receives water or a tooth cleaner, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
If both of them have lust, and she receives fresh or cooked food with the intention of eating it directly from a male spirit, a male ghost, a paṇḍaka, or a male animal in human form, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. For every mouthful swallowed, she commits a serious offense. If she receives water or a tooth cleaner, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
If only the male being has lust, and she receives fresh or cooked food with the intention of eating it, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. For every mouthful swallowed, she commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she receives water or a tooth cleaner, she commits an offense of wrong conduct.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if both are without lust; if she receives, knowing that the man has no lust; if she is insane; if she is the first offender.
The fifth offense entailing suspension is finished.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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