Bu Pc 4646. Visiting families before a meal
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cāritta
A monk who visits other lay people before or after an invitational meal must confess the offense.
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The Cāritta Sutta: On Visiting Families Before a Meal
Background
This rule is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha (Pāli: Pātimokkhasutta) of the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, reflecting the training rules of bhikkhunīs within the early Saṅgha. However, this principle also applies to bhikkhus, with appropriate modifications.
The circumstances from which this rule arose lie within the context of governing the conduct of practitioners. In ancient Indian society, visiting families often touched upon matters of proper conduct and the misuse of opportunities in the distribution of food. Some bhikkhunīs or bhikkhus, under the guise of making visits, would go to the homes of lay followers at the time when the main meal was being prepared or consumed, thereby creating an opportunity to receive special benefits or advantages not provided for under the rules. This was not an act of directly taking food, but it created favorable conditions for attachment and craving, and undermined the spirit of Saṅgha discipline.
The Buddha, perceiving these various improprieties arising, established this rule to protect the honor of the Saṅgha and to uphold the principles of pure practice.
Main Content
This rule stipulates that: a bhikkhunī (or bhikkhu) should not visit other families before a meal to which one has been invited (ānantara), or after such a meal has been consumed, if the purpose is to receive food or other material benefits from such a visit.
More specifically, the rule targets the act of "passing through" families at mealtime—which causes the household members to feel compelled to provide additionally for the monastic. This act, although not a direct request, creates social pressure and a basis for latent impropriety.
Should a monastic violate this rule, they must confess the offense (āpatti) and perform repentance.
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