A sharing about Giving Alms Food by Ashin Acara

A sharing about Giving Alms Food by Ashin Acara .....✳️

QUESTION  :

(1) Must alms food be vegetarian (that is non-meat)?

(2) Is there any type of fruits which should not be made as offerings?

With Mudita

Qweesiang

ANSWER :

1)  Alms food need not be vegetarian. The Buddha is impartial about the food that he received as alms. He has eaten meat and he permitted his disciples and fellow monks to eat meat as well  (Parajika Pali, Paragraph No. 181, 508; 582 etc.).  Hence, meat is allowable except under the following circumstances:

(a)  the monks witness the actual slaughtering of the animal(s) for the purpose of  providing meat for them (monks);  

(b)  the monks hear that the  people had killed the animal(s)  for the purpose of providing meat for them (monks); and  

(c) the monks suspect that the people had killed the animal(s)  for the purpose of providing meat for them (monks).  

In fact, on the occasion that Venerable Devadatta asked the Buddha to lay down a rule  requiring all monks to be vegetarian for their entire life, the Buddha did not approve of it (Parivari Pali, Paragraph No. 343). In the Vinaya rules (Mahavagga Pali, Paragraph 280-281) relating to the practice of offering alms food, it was also stated that monks are prohibited from eating ten kinds of meat  

- that of  a human being (manussa), 

- elephant (hatthi), 

- horse (assa), 

- dog (sunakha), 

- snake (ahi), 

- lion (siha), 

- tiger (byaggha), 

- panther (Dipi), 

- bear (accha), 

- hyaena (taraccha).  

Thus, these are not to be offered to the Buddha and to the monks. 

In practice, none of these are usually cooked for our daily meals. Hence, we need not worry about them being made as offerings.

Whilst the Vinaya rules did not mandate vegetarianism in alms offerings, the practice of giving vegetarian alms food to Buddha and the monks is however, very prevalent nowadays. Amongst the Buddhist community and temples, many restricted the offerings to vegetarian food only. This is taken more in line with a commitment to discourage killing of any kind for food consumption. In fact, our temple, Mangala Vihara Buddhist Temple is no exception. Since its inception for nearly 50 years, only vegetarian food is offered to the Buddha and served to the monks (no meat, no eggs, no fish etc.).

An important point related to the practice of offering captured in the Vikalabhojana-sikkhapada (Pacittiya Pali, Paragraph 247-251) prohibits monks from eating solid food (bhojana)  after noon time. 

Thus, alms food and fruits are offered to the Buddha and the monks only in the morning and consumed before noon. No food or fruits are to be offered in the afternoon or evening.

2)  On the question of fruits, there is no prohibition to the type of fruits that can be offered to the Buddha. Any edible fruits  can be offered to the Buddha. 

However as mentioned above,  similar to the offer of solid food, fruits are not to be offered after noon.

With Metta,

Ashin Acara