四分戒本疏卷第一．第二．第三 3.69

3.69

Precept Thirty-Four: Receiving More Than Two or Three Bowls of Travel Provisions from a Married Woman or Merchant.

The intention of the precept is: When a married woman or merchant gives up their own travel provisions to offer and invite a monk, it is right and proper to show consideration and accept within the limit. If one now excessively takes more than three bowls, exhausting their food, it fosters greed and violates the teaching, causing non-trivial annoyance and loss; therefore it was instituted.

There are five specific conditions: 1. Food of a married woman or travel provisions of a merchant. 2. Knowing it to be so. 3. There is no special circumstance, except for the circumstance of illness which is not an offense. 4. Taking more than three bowls. 5. Committing [the offense] upon exiting the gate. Below, the Prātimokṣa text is properly clarified. This precept arose because a mendicant monk took travel provisions from that married woman, and also repeatedly begged from a merchant, whereby faults arose; thus the Buddha instituted this precept.