40. Dantaponasikkhāpada
Tena samayena buddho bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena aññataro bhikkhu sabbapaṁsukūliko susāne viharati. So manussehi diyyamānaṁ na icchati paṭiggahetuṁ, susānepi rukkhamūlepi ummārepi ayyavosāṭitakāni sāmaṁ gahetvā paribhuñjati. Manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “kathañhi nāma ayaṁ bhikkhu amhākaṁ ayyavosāṭitakāni sāmaṁ gahetvā paribhuñjissati. Theroyaṁ bhikkhu vaṭharo manussamaṁsaṁ maññe khādatī”ti. Assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ. Ye te bhikkhū appicchā …pe… te ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti— “kathañhi nāma bhikkhu adinnaṁ mukhadvāraṁ āhāraṁ āharissatī”ti …pe… “saccaṁ kira tvaṁ, bhikkhu, adinnaṁ mukhadvāraṁ āhāraṁ āharasī”ti? “Saccaṁ, bhagavā”ti. Vigarahi buddho bhagavā …pe… kathañhi nāma tvaṁ, moghapurisa, adinnaṁ mukhadvāraṁ āhāraṁ āharissasi. Netaṁ, moghapurisa, appasannānaṁ vā pasādāya …pe… evañca pana, bhikkhave, imaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ uddiseyyātha—
Eating ungiven food Origin story First substory
At one time the Buddha was staying in the house with the peaked roof in the Great Wood near Vesālī. At that time a monk who only used discarded things was staying in a charnel ground. He disliked receiving things from people. Instead he would take whatever was offered to the dead at the charnel ground, at the foot of trees, or at the threshold, and he would use that. People complained and criticized him, “How can this monk take the offerings to our ancestors and use them? This monk is big and strong. He probably eats human flesh too!” The monks heard the complaints of those people, and the monks of few desires complained and criticized him, “How can this monk eat food that hasn’t been given?” … “Is it true, monk, that you do this?” “It’s true, sir.” The Buddha rebuked him … “Foolish man, how can you do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this: