BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

"'Yes, venerable sir.'Buddhist Monastic Code 1"'But is he respectful to the Tathāgata and deferential now?'"'No, venerable sir.'"'And didn't Sāgata do battle with the Ambatittha nāga?'"'Yes, venerable sir.'"'But could he do battle with even a salamander now?'"'No, venerable sir.'"(§ — Reading deḍḍubhena-pi with the Thai and Sri Lankan versions of the Canon.)Object. Alcohol means any alcoholic beverage made from grain, yeast, or anycombination of ingredients. Examples now would include whiskey, beer, vodka, andgin. Fermented liquor means any alcoholic beverage made from flowers, fruits,honey, sugar, or any combination of ingredients. Examples now would include wine,mead, and rum. Together, the two terms are meant to cover all kinds of alcoholicbeverages.There is some controversy as to what other substances would be included in thisfactor in line with the Great Standards. Because the Canon repeatedly criticizesalcohol on the grounds that it destroys one's sense of shame, weakens one'sdiscernment, and can put one into a stupor — as happened to Ven. Sāgata — itseems reasonable to extend this rule to other intoxicants, narcotics, andhallucinogens as well. Thus things like marijuana, hashish, heroin, cocaine, and LSDwould fulfill this factor. Coffee, tea, tobacco, and betel do not have this effect,though, so there is no reason to include them here.Items that look, smell, and taste like alcohol but are non-alcoholic also do notcome under this rule. Thus, for example, carbonated apple juice that resembleschampagne would not fulfill this factor.Perception as to whether a liquid counts as alcohol or liquor is not a mitigatingfactor here (see Pc 4). Thus a bhikkhu drinking champagne that he thinks to becarbonated apple juice would fall under this factor, regardless of his ignorance.Effort. The Vibhaṅga defines drinking as taking even as little as the tip of a blade ofgrass. Thus taking a small glass of wine, even though it might not be enough tomake one drunk, would be more than enough to fulfill this factor.According to the Commentary, the number of offenses involved in taking analcoholic drink is determined by the number of separate sips. As for intoxicantstaken by means other than sipping, each separate effort would count as an offense.358