Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c23.6

c23.6

**The Monk's Dietary.** We shall now consider the articles that make up the monk's diet [*Pāt.*, pp. 37-42]. Two kinds of food are distinguished, *hard*, such as biscuits, cakes, meats, fruits, and *soft*, such as boiled rice and curries. The Buddha on the eve of his enlightenment took milk-rice from Sujātā at Uruvelā. Immediately after his enlightenment the two merchants, Tapussa and Bhallika, offered him rice-cakes and lumps of honey [*Mahāv.*, i, 4, 3], and, according to Aśvaghosha [*Buddha-charita*, xv, 61], "three sweet substances (sugar, honey, and ghee) and milk." Evidently, these must have been regarded as the ideal food of a Bhikkhu. The following delicacies are mentioned, viz. ghee, butter, oil, honey, molasses, fish, flesh, milk, and curds, but none but a sick Bhikkhu "should request them for his own use and partake of them" [*Pāt.*, 40]. The language of this restriction does not seem to bar these delicacies out of dinners voluntarily offered to the monks by their lay well-wishers. Accordingly, it does not conflict with the account of the Buddha himself taking meat, and pronouncing fish to be "pure" food when "the eater has not seen, or heard, or suspected that it has been caught for that purpose" [*Chullav.*, vii, 3, 15; cf. *Mahāv.*, vi, 31, 14]. Kern points out [*Indian Buddhism*, p. 84, where he differently understands the above prohibition] that the use of non-vegetarian diet by Buddhist monks was in imitation of Brahmanical practices which allowed it under certain restrictions [cf. *Gautama*, xviii, 27-38; *Āpast.*, i, 5, 17, 29 ff.; *Manu*, v, 27]. The Brahman ascetic was, however, forbidden meat and honey [*Āpast.*, ii, 9, 22, 2; *Manu*, vi, 14; but there is an exception in *Gautama*, iii, 31]. The Buddhists, in spite of their decrying the Brahmans, were always anxious to pass for Āryas and fond of frequently repeating that very word. The Saṁgha in one passage [*Mahāv.*, vi, 33] permits a meat dinner by outsiders in its own premises where they were given shelter in storm and rain. "They boiled congey and boiled rice and mixed curries and cut up meat and split firewood." As regards other foods, we have mention of sweet-meats (*Pūva*) and rice cakes (*Mantha*) which seem to have been given usually and in large quantities in alms, as they were prepared in the houses of the laity on all festive occasions. Five food products derived from the cow are mentioned, viz. milk, curds, ghee, butter milk, and butter. Bhikkhus on journeys were permitted to provide themselves with supply of rice, salt, molasses, beans, oil, and ghee [*Mahāv.*, vi, 34, 21]. Eight kinds of drinkables are mentioned, fruit juices, and drinks prepared from leaves, flowers, and roots [ib., 35]. Beans were specially recommended among vegetables [ib., vi, 16, 2]. Soup and boiled rice sometimes figure as the Bhikkhus' ordinary diet [ib., i, 25, 1]. Salt and oil, rice and meal were collected "in quart pots from house to house" by the two sons of an old barber monk for the entertainment of the Buddha with 250 disciples [ib., vi, 37, 2]. "All solid food in the shape of fruits" was always allowed [ib., vi, 38]. The taking of tender fruits was not permitted but only those having no life in them or injured by fire, sword, or nails [*Chullav.*, v, 5]. Fermented liquors and strong drinks were forbidden [*Pāt.*, op. cit.]. The Interdict on this point has been already referred to.