Confession 77

The 77th training precept: Cooking fresh food with one’s own hands.

Origin Story

Location as before. Then there was a person who loved gardens and parks, and they instructed professional cooks: “I wish to go sightseeing. Please come tomorrow early in the morning and prepare food and drinks. I’ll offer a fund, so have all the cooks come to my house and fully prepare everything that’s needed.” Having said this, they went to a fragrant park. At that time, the people in the household prepared what was needed and were waiting for the cooks, but didn’t see them coming. They dwelled there worrying that they’d be late.

Then Thullanandā bhikkhunī entered that house on almsround, and said: “Respected ones, may you be free from disease. Please give me food.” The lady of the house replied: “Noble one, I’m now distressed. How could I give food?” The bhikkhunī asked: “Respected one, what distresses you?” She then fully explained it, and the bhikkhunī said: “Sister, do you only know how to use needle and thread? Don’t you know other things?” (The lady) replied: “Does the noble one know how to make food?” The bhikkhunī said: “Of all the skills, which one would I not know?” The lady of the house said: “Noble one, if that’s so, please make food and drinks out of compassion.” The bhikkhunī said: “If I make food, will you give me food?” She answered: “I will.” “Will you also give to my building guards?” She answered: “I’ll also give to them.” The bhikkhunī said: “What kind of food shall I make?” She replied: “Please make all kinds of fat, ghee, and fruit dishes, together with rice cakes.”

According to her needs, the bhikkhunī prepared everything. When everything was prepared, she took food and returned to the monastery. Later the cooks came, and the people of the household told them: “The food and drinks have already been excellently cooked by Thullā bhikkhunī.” When the cooks heard this, they were upset in all kinds of ways, and spoke evil words: “How can a renunciate, a Sakyan daughter, steal people’s livelihood? She’s not a renunciate and not a woman of pure conduct.” The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha asked and criticized, as explained in detail above, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī cooks fresh food with her own hands, it’s a pācittiya.’”

Explanations

“A bhikkhunī” means Thullā bhikkhunī, or any other bhikkhunī.

“Fresh food” means cooking and heating up with one’s own hands.

“Pācittiya” is as before.

There’s no offense: If, for the bhikkhu sangha, or for others in the monastic life, she wants to cook food in a private room where she’s not seen by outsiders, there’s no offense.