Guideline 4 - Mattannuta Ca Bhattasmim

Mattannuta ca bhattasmim: Have a sense of moderation in the food you eat. Here Ill talk about physical food. People eat in three ways, and the first is eating greedily. Even though the stomach is full, the mind isnt full. The mouth is full, you cant swallow what youve got, the stomach is full, and yet the mind still wants to eat more. This is called eating greedily. Dont let this greed take charge of the heart.

The second type is eating contentedly. Youre content with what you have in your alms bowl, and dont eat anything outside your bowl. Or youre content with the food within reach. You dont ask for anything out of reach. You dont give any sign with your hand, your eyes, or your expression that youd like more to eat. You eat only whats on your plate, whats in your bowl. This is called eating contentedly.

The third type is eating modestly. This type of eating is very good, both in terms of the world and of the Dhamma. Take Ven. Sivali as an example. He ate modestly. How did he eat modestly? All that most of us know about Ven. Sivali is that he was wealthy in terms of the donations he received. But where did that wealth come from? It comes from eating modestly. Eating modestly is the source that gives rise to wealth. What Ven. Sivali did was this: whenever he received cloth, if he didnt then give a gift of cloth, he wouldnt wear what he had received. When he received food in his bowl, he wouldnt eat until he had given some of it as a gift to someone else. No matter which of the four requisites he received — food, clothing, shelter, or medicine, no matter how much or how little — once it was in his possession, he wouldnt use it until he had shared some of it with those around him. When he received a lot, he would make a large gift to benefit many people. When he received just a little, hed still try to benefit others. This gave rise to all sorts of good things. His friends loved him, his community loved him, and they were kind to him. This is why being generous is said to tie the knot of friendship and to wipe out your enemies.

So thats what Ven. Sivali did. When he passed away from that lifetime and was reborn in his last lifetime, he gained all kinds of wealth and never had to go hungry. Even when he went to live in places where food should have been scarce, he never suffered from scarcity, never had to do without...

What this means for us is that, whatever we get, we eat only a third and give the other two thirds away. The parts appropriate for animals, we give to animals. The parts appropriate for human beings, we give to human beings. The parts we should share with our fellows in the holy life, we give with a clear heart. This is what it means to be modest in our consumption. We feel ease of heart and ease of body. When we die, we wont be poor.

This principle is something very good not only in terms of the religion, but also in terms of the modern world at large. Its a great means for subduing terrorism. How does it subdue terrorism? When people arent poor, they dont get stirred up. Where does terrorism come from? It comes from people having nowhere to live, nothing to eat, no one to look after them. When theyre poor and starving like this, they think, "As long as Im suffering, lets have everyone else suffer all the same. Dont let there be any private property. Let everything be owned in common." This kind of thinking comes from poverty and deprivation. And why is there poverty? Because some people eat all alone. They dont share with people at large. Then when people at large suffer and feel revenge, they turn into communists and terrorists.

So terrorism comes from greed and selfishness, from not sharing what weve got. If we get ten baht, we can give away nine and eat what we can get for the one baht remaining. That way well have lots of friends. There will be love and affection, peace and prosperity. How can that come about? When people have places to live and food to eat, when they can eat their fill and can sleep when they lie down, why would they want to bother their heads with the confusion of politics?

This is why the Buddha taught us that modesty in our consumption is something good, something noble and outstanding. When we practice in this way, were in line with the phrase, mattannuta ca bhattasmim. Well be practicing right, practicing properly, for the benefit of ourselves and others.