律戒本疏 1.84

1.84

Thirty-one: Eating repeatedly, except during [allowable] occasions. The occasions are times of illness and times of giving robes. There was a son of an elder whose parents had died and whose wealth was exhausted. Wishing to make merit to be born in the second heaven, having nothing with which to perform meritorious deeds, he worked for others as a hired laborer. With the wealth obtained from his hired labor, he provided food to the saṃgha. Because of a festival day, the monks had already received much cake and meat; although they accepted his invitation, what they ate was very little. The donor was sorrowful and distressed, and immediately reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha rebuked repeated eating, but had not yet formulated the precept. Later, they accepted the invitation of a minister of Śrāvastī; also because it was a festival day, they only ate dry parched grain and what they ate was very little. The minister blamed and reproached them, shaming the saṃgha. Because of this, [the Buddha] formulated the precept: one must not eat repeatedly. "Eating repeatedly" means changing places to eat. Because of much craving, difficulty of digestion, hindrance to practicing the Path, being the practice of non-Buddhists, and being like small children, one is not permitted to change places and eat repeatedly. If on one day people come with invitations filling several places, one should give [all but] one to others. If one has not the days [to separate them] and eats them concurrently, all [who do so] incur an offense of pāyattika. Later, the monks became sick, emaciated, and thin, so an exception was made for the sick, allowing them to eat repeatedly. If there are the three types of illnesses caused by heat and wind, and if one obtains the three types of fine food with good color, scent, and flavor, and one invitation is insufficient, one is permitted to accept a second invitation, and thus up to a third or fourth. If three or four are insufficient, one may gradually eat until midday. Later, various elders prepared food for the purpose of giving robes. Because robes are difficult to obtain, wishing to let them take robes, the Buddha allowed repeated eating on account of robes. If one accepts invitations without robes or with robes, it is distinguished as follows: Sometimes two households come to invite at the same time: at the time of invitation there are both robes and food, and at the time of eating both have robes—the monk is without offense. Sometimes two households invite: at the time of invitation both have robes and food, but at the time of eating there are none—the monk does not commit an offense at the time of accepting the invitation, but incurs an offense of pāyattika at the time of eating. Or when the two households invite, both have robes and food, but at the time of eating one has [robes] and one has no robes—at the time of accepting the invitation neither incurs an offense; at the time of eating, with respect to the one without robes, one incurs an offense of pāyattika. Or two households invite: at the time of invitation and at the time of eating both are without robes—the monk incurs a duṣkṛta at the time of accepting, and an offense of pāyattika at the time of eating. Or when the two households invite there are no robes, but at the time of eating both have robes—the monk incurs a duṣkṛta at the time of accepting the invitation, and is without offense at the time of eating. Or when the two households invite both are without robes, but at the time of eating one has robes and one is without robes—the monk incurs duṣkṛtas for both at the time of accepting the invitation, and at the time of eating incurs an offense of pāyattika with respect to the one without robes. Or when both households invite at the same time both have [robes], but at the time of eating one is without robes—the monk [commits] a duṣkṛta at the time of accepting the invitation with respect to the one without robes, and at the time of eating incurs an offense of pāyattika. Or both households invite at the same time: at the time of invitation one is without robes, and at the time of eating both have [robes]—at the time of accepting the invitation one incurs a duṣkṛta with respect to the one without robes, and at the time of eating both are without offense. Or both households invite at the same time: at the time of invitation one has robes and one is without robes, and at the time of eating both have robes—the monk incurs a duṣkṛta at the time of accepting the invitation with respect to the one without robes, and at the time of eating both are without offense. If there are many invitations with robes and food, and at both the times of invitation and eating all have robes, the monk is completely without offense. Later, on festival days elders gathered together and put the monks to trouble; because of this, it was allowed that on festival days one may eat repeatedly. Or someone, seeing auspicious or inauspicious signs, prepares food to seek blessings; or out of respect for the virtuous, prepares food for them; or prepares food offerings on a precious day, on the dark fortnight or bright fortnight, or on an auspicious first day; or there is regular communal food, or food in separate chambers, or an invitation to the community, or an individual invitation. On all festival and assembly days when an elder has not yet invited, the above invitations for food should all be given to others; but because one accepts their invitation, it says, after giving those away to others, one accepts their midday meal. If it is the various foods of the fivefold ordained assembly, one should not give them to others, because they do not have accumulated stores and it is difficult for them to make merit.