BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

The Food Chapter Chapter 8.4meal for the Community of bhikkhus with the Buddha at its head. Please give me mywage.' Now that supervisor also had faith and confidence in the Buddha, so hegave the laborer more than his wage."Then the laborer went to the Blessed One, bowed down to him, sat down to oneside, and said, 'Venerable sir, may the Blessed One together with the Community ofbhikkhus acquiesce to a meal with me tomorrow.'"'You should know, friend, that the Community of bhikkhus is large.'"'Let it be large, venerable sir. I have prepared plenty of jujube fruits. The masters(§) will fill themselves even with the jujube hash.'"So the Blessed One acquiesced by becoming silent... The bhikkhus heard, '...Themasters will fill themselves even with the jujube hash,' so right before the time of themeal they went for alms and ate. People heard, 'They say that the poor laborer hasinvited the Community of bhikkhus with the Buddha at its head,' so they took a greatdeal of staple and non-staple foods to the laborer... (When the time came for themeal) the Blessed One went to the poor laborer's house... and sat on a seat madeready, together with the Community of bhikkhus. Then the poor laborer served thebhikkhus in the meal-hall. The bhikkhus said, 'Give just a little, friend. Give just alittle.'"'Don't take so little, venerable sirs, thinking that I'm just a poor laborer. I'veprepared plenty of staple and non-staple food. Take as much as you want.'"'That's not the reason why we're taking so little, friend. It's simply that we went foralms and ate just before the time for the meal: That's why we're taking so little.'"So the poor laborer criticized and complained and spread it about: 'How can theirreverences eat elsewhere when they were invited by me? Am I not capable of givingthem as much as they want?'"Object. The term out-of-turn meal covers two sorts of situations: A bhikkhu hasbeen invited to a meal consisting of any of the five staple foods but then either (1)goes elsewhere and eats another meal consisting of any of the five staple foods atthe same time as the meal to which he was originally invited; or (2) eats a staplefood prior to going to the meal, as in the origin story.Perception as to whether food actually constitutes an out-of-turn meal is not amitigating factor (see Pc 4).Effort. The Vibhaṅga states that there is a dukkaṭa for accepting — with the thoughtof eating it — food that will constitute an out-of-turn meal, and a pācittiya for everymouthful eaten.Proper times. The special occasions when one may accept and eat an out-of-turnmeal are defined as follows:313