BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1But once he no longer has any food in his bowl, hand, or mouth, or has decidedthat he has had enough for that particular meal, he fulfills the factor of "havingeaten" under this rule. If he turned down an offer of further food before finishing themeal, he may not for the remainder of the day eat any staple or non-staple foodsthat are not leftovers.Turning down an offer of further food. The Vibhaṅga defines this as an act with fivefactors:1) The bhikkhu is eating.2) There is further staple food.3) The donor is standing within hatthapāsa (1.25 meters) of the bhikkhu.4) He/she offers the food.5) The bhikkhu turns it down.The Commentary adds that if the bhikkhu has finished eating before the further foodis offered, factor (1) is not fulfilled, so if he turns down the food he does not fallunder the terms of this rule. Similarly, if the food in factor (2) is not a staple food —e.g., if it is fruit, chocolates, or cheese — or if it is staple food of a sort unallowablefor a bhikkhu to eat — e.g., it has been offered as a result of a bhikkhu's claiming asuperior human state or corrupting a family (see Sg 13), or it is made of humanflesh or snake meat, etc. — the factor is not fulfilled. Because none of the textsspecify that the donor under factor (3) must be unordained, a bhikkhu offering foodto a fellow bhikkhu would apparently fulfill this factor as well. Thus this rule wouldapply not only to meals offered by lay donors, but also to food handed out bybhikkhus and novices in a monastery.Factor (5) is fulfilled by any refusal made by word or gesture.Cv.VI.10.1 states that when a senior bhikkhu makes a junior bhikkhu get up from hisseat before the latter has finished his meal, the senior bhikkhu counts as havingturned down an offer of further food (§). In other words, when the senior bhikkhuthen finishes his own meal, he comes under the purview of this rule as well.Staple & non-staple food. Staple food, here, follows the standard definition. Nonstaplefood, in the context of this rule, covers all edibles except for the five staplefoods, juice drinks, the five tonics, medicines, and water.Leftover food is of two sorts: (1) leftover from a sick bhikkhu's meal and (2) formally"made" leftover by a bhikkhu who is not sick. In the latter case, the formal act hasseven factors: 1) The food is allowable. 2) It has been formally received by any bhikkhu except Bhikkhu Y. 3) Bhikkhu X lifts it up in the presence of Bhikkhu Y. 4) Bhikkhu Y is within hatthapāsa of X. 5) Bhikkhu Y has finished his meal. 6) Bhikkhu Y has not yet gotten up from the seat where he has finished hismeal and turned down an offer of further food; and320