The Bhikkhus Rules

A Guide for Laypeople

by Bhikkhu Ariyesako | 1998 | 50,970 words

The Theravadin Buddhist Monk's Rules compiled and explained by: Bhikkhu Ariyesako Discipline is for the sake of restraint, restraint for the sake of freedom from remorse, freedom from remorse for the sake of joy, joy for the sake of rapture, rapture for the sake of tranquillity, tranquillity for the sake of pleasure, pleasure for the sake of conce...

We have dealt above with food and fruit juice. There is now the category of tonic medicines (sattaahakaalika). These can be consumed at any time but cannot be stored longer than seven days (after they are offered).

These tonic medicines were originally regulated when Venerable Pilindavacchas great feats of psychic power made him so famous that he received many offerings of the five tonics. Even though he distributed these among other monks there was so much that the excess had to be stored away and their dwellings were overrun by rats. Visiting lay people criticized the monks for "storing up goods in abundance like a king." The Buddha therefore set down this rule:

"Keeping any of the five tonics — ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, or sugar/molasses — for more than seven days is [an offence of Confession with Forfeiture.]

(Summarized Nis. Paac. 23; BMC p.242)

There are various translations and interpretations about these tonic- medicines — according to different Communities and different countries. Some places consider only liquids allowable while a few communities will drink only plain water in the afternoon. Some communities will not accept re offered tonic medicines (after the seven days period is over), some will under certain circumstances. Therefore lay devotees need to enquire about the practice of their local Community and follow that way.[1]

Some contemporary observations:

"The five medicines — ghee, navaniita.m, oil, honey, and suga — were allowed by the Buddha to be consumed by sick monks at any time of the day or night. According to the Mahaavagga, these five were agreed upon as medicines and, although they served as nutriment for people, were not considered as substantial food. The degree of infirmity required before a monk is allowed to consume these [tonic-]medicines is a controversial point... It seems that feeling rundown or feeling tired after physical exertion would be sufficient cause to be able to make use of the Five Medicines."

(AB)

"The main effectiveness of these medicines seems to be in their nutritional value. They do not have medicinal value as commonly understood today, for example, relieving pain or as an antiseptic. However, as nutriment they would help to maintain bodily strength and assist in recuperation while, since they are so rich, would not be a substitute for normal food."

(HS ch.10)

Also, if the tonic medicine is mixed with a tiny amount of food then it would be acceptable according to this allowance:

"...if sugar has a little flour mixed with it simply to make it firmer — as sometimes happens in sugar cubes and blocks of palm sugar — it is still classed as a tonic as it is still regarded simply as sugar."

(BMC p.238-9)

If the flour is for more food like reasons then it would be counted as food. See also Mixing Edibles above.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For example, Plain chocolate (sugar + vegetable oil + cocoa) is allowable in some places but not milk chocolate. Milk is considered to be food.

o One of the tonic medicines is called navaniita.m in Paali. Some communities consider that it is butter and some cheese. It is a controversial point. Remembering that each local community of monks may practice differently, the lay person will need to check what is considered allowable.

Other comments on the tonic medicines:

"Some say that navaniita.m is butter, some say that it is cheese. However, there is a reasonable argument following the Buddhas Four Great Standards (Mahaavagga, chapter 6 verse 40) to state that butter and cheese are sufficiently similar to the real navaniita.m and dissimilar to what has been disallowed by the Buddha to make both butter and cheese also allowable, along with navaniita.m as one of the Five Tonics. In the West, cheese is sometimes considered as a food and monks seen eating it in the afternoon or evening may be looked down upon by some lay people. It seems better in such situations, only to make use of the allowance to eat cheese in the afternoon or evening when there is more than mere tiredness but a debilitating illness instead.

"...It may be that the [tonic-] medicine is given up, with no expectation of its return, before seven days have passed; in which case if, without any prompting by the monk, it should be offered again that medicine may be accepted and kept a further seven days." (AB)

"These five medicines are defined as:

  1. sappi: ghee, clarified butter, a fine oil used in Indian cooking; obtained from processing the milk of cows, goats, buffaloes or any other animal whose flesh is allowed;
  2. navaniita: fresh butter/cheese* made from the milk of any animal whose flesh is allowed;
  3. tela.m: oil, either vegetable or animal;
  4. madhu: honey from bees;
  5. phaa.nita: sugar, often translated as "molasses," however this seems a quite limited definition; while sugar cane is specifically mentioned, it seems that all kinds of sugar** are meant. Sugar cane was probably the original source of sugar and it would have been in quite a raw state much like the jaggery of Sri Lanka and the num oy of Thailand. (HS ch.10)

*"Made from churning curds... This is similar to modern day creamery butter and, since cheese is also processed from curds, many bhikkhus would include cheese under this name as well (in Thailand the name for butter and cheese is the same — butter is the soft variety and cheese the hard). One complication with this is that in the West cheese is considered a substantial food. Thus, if used as a tonic should be taken in moderation." (HS Endnotes)

**"Under this would be included sugar water and so many communities would allow lemonade and other soft drinks." (HS Endnotes)

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: