English
The almsfood should be received carefully. The almsfood should be received with attention to the bowl. The almsfood should be received with equal soup. The almsfood should be received with equal fullness. The elder should not eat until rice has reached everyone. The almsfood should be eaten carefully. The almsfood should be eaten with attention to the bowl. The almsfood should be eaten mouthful by mouthful. The almsfood should be eaten with equal soup. The almsfood should not be eaten by pressing down a heap. Soup or curry should not be covered with rice out of a desire for more. Soup or rice should not be requested and eaten for oneself if not sick. One should not, with a fault-finding mind, look at others' bowls. A mouthful should not be too large. A mouthful should be rounded. One should not open the mouth before the mouthful is brought. While eating, the whole hand should not be put into the mouth. One should not speak with a mouthful in the mouth. One should not eat throwing up lumps. One should not eat cutting off mouthfuls. One should not eat stuffing the cheeks. One should not eat shaking the hand. One should not eat scattering grains of rice. One should not eat sticking out the tongue. One should not eat making a 'capu-capu' sound. One should not eat making a 'suru-suru' sound. One should not eat licking the hand. One should not eat licking the bowl. One should not eat licking the lips. One should not take the water vessel with a hand soiled with food. The elder should not take water until all have finished eating. When water is given, one should take the bowl with both hands and receive the water. Lowering it, one should wash the bowl well, without making a splashing sound. If there is a water-receiver, lowering it, one should pour the water into the water-receiver – lest the water-receiver be splashed with water, lest the nearby monks be splashed with water, lest the outer robe be splashed with water. If there is no water-receiver, lowering it, one should pour the water onto the ground – lest the nearby monks be splashed with water, lest the outer robe be splashed with water. Bowl-washing water with grains of rice should not be thrown away inside the dwelling. When returning, the junior monks should return first. Afterwards, the elders, well-covered, should go into the dwelling. One should go into the dwelling well-restrained. One should go into the dwelling with downcast eyes. One should not go into the dwelling with an uplifted body. One should not go into the dwelling with loud laughter. One should go into the dwelling with little sound. One should not go into the dwelling swaying the body. One should not go into the dwelling swaying the arms. One should not enter the refectory swaying the body. One should not enter the refectory swaying the head. One should not enter the refectory with arms akimbo. One should not enter the refectory with head covered. One should not enter the refectory in a squatting posture. This, monks, is the refectory duty for monks, how monks should behave properly in the refectory. The first recitation section is finished. 6. The Story of the Alms-round Duties 365. Now at that time, monks on alms-round were ill-dressed, ill-robed, not endowed with proper deportment, as they went for alms. They entered houses without observing, they departed without observing. They entered too hastily, they departed too hastily. They stood too far away, they stood too close. They stood too long, they turned back too quickly. And a certain monk on alms-round entered a house without observing. And he, thinking it was a door, entered a certain private room. In that private room, a woman lay naked, supine. That monk saw that woman naked, supine. Having seen her, [he thought] "This is not a door, this is a private room," and he came out of that private room. The husband of that woman saw that woman naked, supine. Having seen her, [he thought] "My wife has been defiled by this monk," and he seized that monk and struck him. Then that woman, awakened by that sound, said to that man, "Why, sir, do you strike this monk?" "You have been defiled by this monk!" "No, sir, I have not been defiled by this monk; that monk did nothing." And she had that monk released. Then that monk went to the monastery and reported this matter to the monks. Those monks who were of few wishes... they complained, grumbled, criticized: "How can monks on alms-round be ill-dressed, ill-robed, not endowed with proper deportment, as they go for alms, and enter houses without observing, and depart without observing..." They will go out. They will enter too quickly. They will go out too quickly. They will stand too far. They will stand too near. They will stand too long. They will turn back too quickly! Then those bhikkhus reported this matter to the Blessed One... ...Is it true, bhikkhus...? ...Yes, Blessed One... ...Having rebuked... ...Having given a Dhamma talk, he addressed the bhikkhus – 366. Therefore, bhikkhus, I shall lay down the rules for bhikkhus on alms-round, how bhikkhus on alms-round should conduct themselves properly. By a bhikkhu on alms-round, bhikkhus – 'Now I will enter the village' – covering the three circles, wearing the lower robe in a circle, tying the waist-band, putting on the outer robes properly, unfastening the knot, having washed and taken the bowl, the village should be entered carefully, without haste. One should go into the inner houses well-covered. One should go into the inner houses well-restrained. One should go into the inner houses with downcast eyes. One should not go into the inner houses with body uplifted. One should not go into the inner houses with loud laughter. One should go into the inner houses with little sound. One should not go into the inner houses swaying the body. One should not go into the inner houses swaying the arms. One should not go into the inner houses swaying the head. One should not go into the inner houses with arms akimbo. One should not go into the inner houses with head covered. One should not go into the inner houses squatting. When entering a house, one should observe – 'By this way I will enter, by this way I will exit.' One should not enter too quickly. One should not exit too quickly. One should not stand too far. One should not stand too near. One should not stand too long. One should not turn back too quickly. While standing, one should observe – 'Are they willing to give alms or not?' If they put down their work, or rise from their seat, or touch a ladle, or touch a vessel, or place... (ka.)] or – ‘intending to give.’ When alms are being given, the outer robe should be lifted with the left hand, the bowl should be extended with the right hand, the bowl should be received with both hands, and the alms should be received. One should not look at the face of the alms-giver. One should observe: ‘Does she intend to give sauce or not?’ If she touches a ladle, or touches a dish, or puts it down – one should understand that she intends to give. When alms have been received, the bowl should be covered with the outer robe, and one should return carefully, without haste. One should go into the inner village well-covered. One should go into the inner village well-restrained. One should go into the inner village with downcast eyes. One should not go into the inner village with body uplifted. One should not go into the inner village with loud laughter. One should go into the inner village with little sound. One should not go into the inner village swaying the body. One should not go into the inner village swaying the arms. One should not go into the inner village swaying the head. One should not go into the inner village with hands on hips. One should not go into the inner village with head covered. One should not go into the inner village squatting. Whoever returns first from the village with alms, he should arrange the seat, he should set out water for the feet, a footstool, a foot-mat, the refuse-bin should be washed and set out, drinking water and rinsing water should be set out. Whoever returns last from the village with alms, if there is leftover food, if he wishes, he should eat it. If he does not wish, it should be discarded in a place with little grass, or immersed in water with no living creatures. He should put away the seat, he should put away the water for the feet, the footstool, the foot-mat, the refuse-bin should be washed and put away, the drinking water and rinsing water should be put away, the refectory should be swept. Whoever sees the drinking water pot or the rinsing water pot Or an empty, void chamber pot should be offered by him. If it is unbearable for him, having called another by a gesture of the hand, a hand-held vessel should be offered, and on account of that, speech should not be broken. This indeed, O monks, is the proper practice for alms-gathering monks, how alms-gathering monks should properly practice. 7. The Story of the Practice for Forest Dwellers 367. Now at that time many monks were dwelling in the forest. They neither provided drinking water, nor provided food, nor provided fire, nor provided fire-sticks, nor knew the constellations, nor knew the directions. Thieves, having gone there, said this to those monks: "Is there, sirs, drinking water?" "There is not, friends," they said. "Is there, sirs, food?" "There is not, friends," they said. "Is there, sirs, fire?" "There is not, friends," they said. "Are there, sirs, fire-sticks?" "There is not, friends," they said. "What is the proper alignment today, sirs?" "Indeed, we do not know, friends," they said. "Which, sirs, is this direction?" "Indeed, we do not know, friends," they said. Then those thieves thought: 'These have no drinking water, no food, no fire, no fire-sticks, they do not know the constellations, they do not know the directions; these are thieves, not monks!' Having beaten them, they departed. Then those monks