Looking for specific food?

Buddhist ethical conduct including the Five Precepts (Pañcasikkhāpada), and Eightfold Ethical Conduct (Aṭṭhasīla).
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SarathW
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Looking for specific food?

Post by SarathW »

Are monks allowed to do as per the following story?

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The four bhikkhus told other bhikkhus about the sweetmeats from Kanamata's house and they also came to stand at the door of Kanamata, as a devotee of the Buddha and his disciples, offered her sweetmeats to the bhikkhus as they came in, one after another.


http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/ve ... ?verse=082" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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tattoogunman
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by tattoogunman »

While I am a strict vegetarian, all of my recent "Buddhist 101" readings state that you don't *have* to be vegetarian to be a Buddhist. The idea comes from the fact that *you* should not cause harm to living creatures and if someone offers you meat, you can eat it. Now you can also look at it the other way around in that by accepting the meat, you are indirectly causing harm/suffering to a living creature since it had to be slaughtered. Technically, even eating vegetables causes a living organism to die though. I know Mahayana Buddhists tend to be strict vegetarians, but Theravada seems to get a pass based off of the Theravada publications I have been reading (see here: http://www.buddhanet.net/5-gqga.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

Take it for what it's worth ;)
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cooran
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by cooran »

Hello tatoogunman,

My understanding is that "sweetmeats" are NOT animal flesh - they are desserts.

With metta,
Chris
---The trouble is that you think you have time---
---Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe---
---It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---
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Dhammanando
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by Dhammanando »

SarathW wrote:Are monks allowed to do as per the following story?
Yes, that was how almsround was normally practised in those days (and still is today by Indian sadhus). Rather than the modern practice of walking continuously until a waiting lay almsgiver invites you to stop, a monk would stop silently at each house and wait until its occupants had noticed him and then either dismissed him or invited him to wait and receive food. If a monk had undertaken the sapadānacārikaṅga ascetic practice (i.e. that of walking an uninterrupted almsround), then he would stop undiscriminatingly at every house. If he hadn’t, then he would stop at the houses where he knew that people would be likely to give or at those where the people were wont to give food that was agreeable to him.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
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DNS
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by DNS »

Hi Bhante,

Can you confirm what cooran wrote about sweetmeats that it refers to desserts? Or is it meat - maṃsa? Just curious.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by Dhammanando »

David N. Snyder wrote:Can you confirm what cooran wrote about sweetmeats that it refers to desserts? Or is it meat - maṃsa? Just curious.
It's not meat. The Pali word is pūva and is explained in the Vinaya Piṭaka as being a cake baked as a present for someone.

This is Vinaya Piṭaka's version of the Dhammapada Commentary's story:
  • At Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time a woman lay-follower, the mother of Kāṇā, had faith and was virtuous. Kāṇā came to be given to a certain man in a village. Then Kāṇā went to her mother’s house on some business or other. Then Kāṇā’s husband sent a messenger to Kāṇā, saying: “Let Kāṇā come back, I desire Kāṇā’s return.” Then the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, saying: “It is awkward to go empty-handed,” cooked a cake. When the cake was cooked, a certain monk walking for alms came up to the dwelling of the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother. Then the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, gave the cake to that monk. He, having gone away, told another, and she gave him a cake. He, having gone away, told another, and she gave him a cake. No sooner was a cake ready than it immediately disappeared.

    A second time did Kāṇā’s husband send a messenger to Kāṇā, saying: “Let Kāṇā, come back, I desire Kāṇā’s return.” A second time did the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, saying: “It is awkward to go empty-handed” … it immediately disappeared.

    A third time did Kāṇā’s husband send a messenger to Kāṇā, saying: “Let Kāṇā, come back, I desire Kāṇā’s return. If Kāṇā does not come back, I will take another wife.” A third time did the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, saying: “It is awkward to go empty-handed” … it immediately disappeared.

    Then Kāṇā’s husband procured another wife. Kāṇā heard: “It is said that another wife is taken by this man.” She stood weeping. Then the lord, dressing in the morning, taking his bowl and robe, came up to the dwelling of that woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, and having come up he sat down on the appointed seat. Then the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, approached the lord, and having approached and greeted the lord, she sat down at a respectful distance. As she was sitting down at a respectful distance, the lord spoke thus to the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother:

    “Why does this Kāṇā weep?”

    Then the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, told this matter to the lord. Then the lord, having … gladdened the woman lay-follower, Kāṇā’s mother, with talk on dhamma, rising up from his seat, departed.

    Now at that time a certain caravan was desirous of going from Rājagaha to the south. A certain monk, walking for alms-food, entered that caravan for alms-food. A certain lay-follower had barley-meal given to that monk. He, having gone away, told another, and he had barley-meal given to him. He, having gone away, told another, and he had barley-meal given to him. He, having gone away, told another, and he had barley-meal given to him. As soon as provisions for the journey were ready, they disappeared. Then that lay-follower said to these people:

    “Masters, wait until tomorrow. As soon as provisions for the journey are ready, they are given to the masters. I will prepare provisions for the journey.”

    Saying: “Master, we are unable to wait, the caravan is setting out,” they went away. Then as that lay-follower, having prepared provisions for the journey, was going along last, thieves robbed (him). People … spread it about, saying: “How can the recluses, sons of the Sakyans, not knowing moderation, accept (provisions)? This (man) having given to them, going along last, was robbed by thieves.”

    Monks heard these people who … spread it about. Then these monks told this matter to the lord. Then the lord in this connection, on this occasion, having given reasoned talk, addressed the monks, saying:

    “Because of this, monks, I will make known a rule of training for monks, founded on ten reasons: for the excellence of the Order … for following the rules of restraint. And thus, monks, this rule of training should be set forth:

    “If a monk, going up to a family, (who) asking, should invite him (to take) cakes or barley-gruel, two or three bowlfuls may be accepted by a monk desiring them. Should he accept more than that, there is an offence of expiation. Having accepted two or three bowlfuls, having taken them back from there, they must be shared together with the monks. This is the proper course in this case.”
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
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DNS
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by DNS »

Dhammanando wrote:
David N. Snyder wrote:Can you confirm what cooran wrote about sweetmeats that it refers to desserts? Or is it meat - maṃsa? Just curious.
It's not meat. The Pali word is pūva and is explained in the Vinaya Piṭaka as being a cake baked as a present for someone.
Sweet. :thumbsup:

Thanks.
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tattoogunman
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Re: Looking for specific food?

Post by tattoogunman »

cooran wrote:Hello tatoogunman,

My understanding is that "sweetmeats" are NOT animal flesh - they are desserts.

With metta,
Chris

Yeah my bad, I focused on the "meat" portion there and spaced it on the rest :rolleye:
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