Allowance for what is received, etc.

^Kd.6.19.1 Now at that time the family who supported the venerable Upananda, the son of the Sakyans, sent solid food for the Order,^[1] saying: “Having pointed it out as for master Upananda, it should be given to the Order.” Now at that time the venerable Upananda, ^Vin.1.214 the son of the Sakyans, had entered the village for almsfood. Then these people, having gone to the monastery, asked the monks: “Where, honoured sirs, is master Upananda?”

“Sirs, this venerable Upananda, the son of the Sakyans, has entered the village for almsfood.”

“Honoured sirs, having pointed out this solid food as for master Upananda, it should be given to the Order.”

They told this matter to the Lord.^[2] He said: “Well, then, monks, having accepted it, put it aside until Upananda comes back.”

^Kd.6.19.2 Then the venerable Upananda, the son of the Sakyans, having visited the families before the meal, came back during ^BD.4.292 the day.^[3] Now at that time because food was scarce and they offered them only a little, monks considerately refused; but a whole Order was offered (food); the monks, being scrupulous, did not accept. (The Lord said:)

“Accept (the food), monks, make use of it. I allow you, monks, having eaten and being satisfied, to make use of (food) that is not left over if it was accepted before a meal.”

^Kd.6.20.1 Then the Lord, having stayed at Rājagaha for as long as he found suiting, set out on a tour for Sāvatthī. In due course, walking on tour, he arrived at Sāvatthī. Then the Lord stayed there at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time the venerable Sāriputta had fever. Then the venerable Moggallāna the Great approached the venerable Sāriputta; having approached, he spoke thus to the venerable Sāriputta:

“When you, reverend Sāriputta, previously had fever, by what means was it eased?”

“I had lotus fibres and stalks, your reverence.”

Then the venerable Moggallāna the Great, as a strong man might stretch out his bent arm or might bend back his outstretched arm, even so did he, vanishing from the Jeta Grove appear on the banks of the Mandākinī lotus-tank.^[4]

^Kd.6.20.2 A certain elephant^[5] saw the venerable Moggallāna the Great coming in the distance; seeing him he spoke thus to the venerable Moggallāna the Great:

“Honoured sir, let master Moggallāna the Great come; there is a welcome, honoured sir, for master Moggallāna the Great. What, honoured sir, does the master need? What can I give him?”

“I need lotus fibres and stalks, friend.” Then that elephant commanded another elephant, saying:

^BD.4.293 “Well now, good fellow, give the master as many lotus fibres and stalks as he needs.” Then that elephant, having plunged into the Mandākinī lotus-tank, having with his trunk pulled lotus fibres and stalks, ^Vin.1.215 having washed them clean,^[6] having tied them into a bundle, approached the venerable Moggallāna the Great.

^Kd.6.20.3 Then the venerable Moggallāna the Great, as a strong man might stretch out his bent arm or might bend back his outstretched arm, even so did he, vanishing from the bank of the Mandākinī lotus-tank, appear in the Jeta Grove. And that elephant too, vanishing from the bank of the Mandākinī lotus-tank, appeared in the Jeta Grove. Then that elephant, having offered the venerable Moggallāna the Great the lotus fibres and stalks, vanishing from the Jeta Grove, appeared on the bank of the Mandākinī lotus-tank. Then the venerable Moggallāna the Great brought the lotus fibres and stalks to the venerable Sāriputta. Then as the venerable Sāriputta was making use of the lotus fibres and stalks, his fever abated. Many lotus fibres and stalks came to be left over.

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^Kd.6.20.4 Now at that time because food was scarce and they offered them only a little,^[7] monks considerately refused; but a whole Order was offered (food). The monks, being scrupulous, did not accept. (The Lord said:)

“Accept (the food), monks, make use of it. I allow you, monks, having eaten and being satisfied, to make use of (food) that is not left over if it grows in a wood, if it grows in a lotus-tank.”^[8]

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^Kd.6.21.1 Now at that time there was a great quantity of solid food that was fruit^[9] at Sāvatthī, but there was no one to make it allowable. The monks, being scrupulous, did not make use of the fruit. They told this matter to the Lord. He said:

^Kd.6.21.2 “I allow you, monks, to make use of fruit that is without ^BD.4.294 seed (or) whose seed is discharged,^[10] (even if) it is not made allowable.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

As at Vin.4.98–Vin.4.98 (BD.2.363f.).

[2]:

Here Vin.4.99 inserts: “Then the Lord on that occasion, in that connection, having given reasoned talk, addressed the monks, saying: “Well then …”

[3]:

At Vin.4.99 Upananda is represented as thinking it to be forbidden by the Lord to call upon families before a meal, so having visited them after a meal he returned during the day. “Before a meal”, “after a meal” are defined at Vin.4.100, and differently at Vin.4.272, Vin.4.273. Nuns’ Bu-Pc.15, Bu-Pc.16 seem to take it for granted that nuns approach families before and after meals.

[4]:

One of the seven great lakes of the Himalayas, part of it being covered with white lotuses. See Dictionary of Pali Proper Names.

[5]:

nāga, elephant, rather than serpent here; the soṇḍā, trunk, is mentioned a little later.

[6]:

Cf. Vin.2.201, SN.ii.269.

[7]:

As above, Kd.6.18.4 and Kd.6.19.2.

[8]:

This therefore seems an exception to Bu-Pc.11, which makes the destruction of vegetable growth an offence.

[9]:

Cf. above Kd.6.17.8; below Kd.6.38.1, and note on piṭṭhakhādaniya at Kd.6.36.6.

[10]:

nibbattabīja. Vin-a.1093 says bījaṃ nibbatetvā (variant reading nippaṭṭetvā) apanetvā, having got rid of the seed, having discharged it. The idea seems to be that monks must not eat the seeds of fruits. At Kd.6.38.1 all solid food that is fruit is allowed.