English
First, one or two pieces of ginger about the size of the thumb are served (to every guest), as well as a spoonful or half of salt on a leaf. He who serves the salt, stretching forth his folded hands and kneeling before the head priest, mutters ‘Sampragatam’ (well come!). This is translated by ‘good arrival.’ The old rendering of it is Sam-ba* which is erroneous. Now the head priest says: ‘ Serve food equally.’ This word (Sampragatam) conveys the idea that the entertainment is well provided, and that the time of the meal has just arrived. This is what is understood according to the sense of the word. But when the Buddha with his disciples once received poisoned food from some one, he taught them to mutter ‘Sapragatam ;’ then they all ate it. As much poison as was in the food was changed into nourishment. Con- sidering the word from this point of view, we see that not only does it mean ‘well-arrived,’ but that it is also a mystic formula. In either language, whether of the East or of the West (i.e. in Chinese or in Sanskrit), one may utter this word as one likes. In the Ping and Fan? districts (in China) some pronounce Shi-chi, or ‘the time has arrived,’ which has a great deal of the original character. He who serves food, standing before the guests, whose feet are in a * Mudilinda, in Mahavagga 1, 3, comes to protect the Buddha, and even to hear the sermon; see SB. E., vol. xiii, p. 80. . * 8 Be * HM. 40 -4 RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. IX. line, bows respectfully, while holding plates, cakes, and fruits in his hands, serves them about one span away from (or above) the priest's hands; every other utensil or food must be offered one or. two inches above the guest’s hands. If anything be served otherwise, the guests should not receive it. The guests begin to eat as soon as the food is served; they should not trouble themselves to wait till the food has been served all round. That they should wait till the food has been. served equally all round is not a correct interpretation. Nor is it according to the Buddha’s instruction that one should do as one likes after a meal. Next some gruel made of dried rice and bean soupis served with hot butter sauce as flavouring, which is to be mixed with the other food with the fingers. They (the guests) eat with the right hand, which they do not raise up higher than the middle part of the belly. Now cakes and fruits are served; ghee and also some sugar. If any guest feels thirsty, he drinks cold water, whether in winter or summer. The above is a brief account of the eating of the priésts in daily life as well as at a reception. The ceremony of the Upavasatha-day is observed on a scale so grand that all the trays and plates are full of the cakes and rice remaining over ; and melted butter and cream can be partaken of to any extent. In the Buddha's time king Prasenagit! invited the members of the Buddha’s Order, in order to offer them a feast, when drink, food, ghee, cream, &c., were served to such an extent that they overflowed profusely on the ground. There is some reference to this in the Vinaya texts. -When I first arrived in Tamralipti, in Eastern India, I wished to invite the priests on a small scale one fast-day. But people hindered me, saying: ‘It is not impossible to prepare just enough food for the guests, but according to the traditional custom of olden times it is necessary to have an abundant supply. It is feared that men may smile, if the food _ supplied be only just sufficient to satisfy the stomach. We hear that you come from a great country in which every place is rich and prosperous ; if you cannot prepare food in abundance you had better give up the idea.’ Therefore I followed their custom, which is not at all unreasonable, for if the intention of giving food be generous the reward obtained for the good work will be correspondingly abundant. RULES ABOUT THE UPAVASATHA-DAY. 41 He who is poor makes gifts, after a meal, of such trifles as he can afford. - When the meal is finished the mouth is washed with a little water, which should be drunk. Some water must be poured out in a basin in order to wash slightly one’s right hand ; and that done, one can leave the table, when one should take a handful of food in the right hand and bring it out in order to give to others; this is allowed by the Buddha, whether the food belongs to the Buddha or to the Brotherhood. But to give away food before one eats is not taught in the Vinaya. Further a trayful of food is offered to the dead and other spirits who are worthy v of offerings. The origin of this custom is traced to the Vulture Peak, as is found fully explained in the Satras}. One should bring that handful of food before the elder (ie. Sthavira) and kneel down; the elder should sprinkle a few drops of water and say the following prayer : ‘ By virtue of the good works which we are about to accomplish, may we generously benefit the world of spirits who, having eaten the food, may be reborn in a pleasant state after death. ‘The happiness of a Bodhisattva resulting from his good actions is limitless as the sky. ‘He who benefits others can obtain such results as this (the happiness of a Bodhisattva); one should continue such actions evermore.’ ' After this, the food is to be brought out and to be placed in a hidden spot, in a forest, grove, river, or pond, in order to give it to the departed. In the country on the rivers Yang-tze and Huai (in China), people prepare an additional tray of food on every fast-day; this custom is the same as above. After the above ceremony is over the host (ie. Danapati) offers tooth-woods and pure water to the guests. The custom of rinsing is the same as explained in chap. v. On taking leave, the invited priests pronounce the words: ‘All the meritorious deeds that have been done I gladly approve of Each guest reads a gatha (a stanza) separately, but there is no religious ceremony after a meal. The priests can do what they like with - the food left over (i.e. Uk&/ish¢abhogana) ; they can either order a boy 42 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. IX. to carry it away or give it to the needy who are entitled to eat such food. Or if it be in a year of famine and it be feared that the host is mean, one should ask the host if that which is over may be taken away. There is no rule, however, for a host himself to gather up the remains of the feast. Such is the general rule for receiving offerings on an Upavasatha-day in India. Sometimes the ceremony differs in one point or other: the host sets up holy images beforehand, and when noontide is at hand all the ~ guests have to sit down and stretch forth their folded hands before these images, and each has to meditate upon the objects of worship. That done, they begin to eat. Sometimes the guests select one priest to go before the image and worship and praise the Buddha in a loud voice, kneeling down and stretching forth his folded hands. (Note by I-tsing): ‘Kneeling’ is to put the two knees down to the ground, with both thighs supporting the body. It was wrongly rendered by the ‘ Mongolian way of kneeling, in the older translations. But this is done in all the five parts of India; why then should we call it the ‘Mongolian way of kneeling?’ The chosen priest (see above) has to speak of eibehitie but praise of the Buddha’s virtues. The host (i.e. D&napati) offers lights and scatters flowers, with undivided attention, full of respect; he anoints the priests’ feet with powdered perfume and burns incense abundantly, which latter is not done by separate individuals'. An offering of music, such as the drum and stringed instruments, * accompanied by songs, is made if the host likes it. Then the meal begins as each is served; and when it is finished, water from a jar is poured out 7 a@ basin before each guest. Then the head of the table (i.e, Sthavira) pronounces for the sake of the host a short Danagatha. This latter is an alternative manner for receiving the offerings of food (on a fast-day) in India. But the Indian way of eating is different from that of China in various points. I wish now to roughly sketch the general mode of taking food according to the Vinaya rules. RULES ABOUT THE UPAVASATH4A-DAY. 43 * Pagkabhoganiyam and Pa#éakhddaniyam are often mentioned in the. Vinaya', Bhoganiyam means what is to be swallowed and eaten (i.e. wet and soft food), and Khadaniyam, what is to be chewed or crunched (i.e. hard and solid food). Pa#ka being ‘five, we can translate the former by. Chinese Wu-tan-shih? (i.e. five kinds of food), which has been hitherto known as the five kinds of proper food # in the general sense according to the meaning. The five Bhoganiyas are: 1. rice; 2. a boiled mixture of barley and peas; 3. baked corn- flour; 4. meat; 5. cakes. Pa#kakhadaniyam is to be translated by Wu- chio-shih (i.e. five kinds of chewing food): 1. roots; 2. stalks; 3. leaves ; 4. flowers; 5. fruits. If the first group of five (i.e. Pa#éabhogantyas) be eaten, the other group of five is in no wise to be taken by those who have no reason for taking more food, but if the latter five be eaten first, the former five can be taken as one likes. We may regard milk, cream, &c., as besides the two groups of the - five mentioned above ; for they have no special name given in the Vinaya, and it is clear that they are not included in the proper food. Any food made of flour (such as pudding or gruel), 7f so hard that a spoon put in it stands upright without inclining any way, is to be included among cakes and rice. Baked flour mixed with water is also included in one of the five, if a finger-mark can be made on the surface of it. As to the five countries of India, their boundaries are wide and remote; roughly speaking, ‘he distance from Central India to the limit in each direction (lit.