Significance of Edible food
Edible food, as defined by Ayurveda and Theravada, encompasses items that provide nutritional sustenance. Ayurveda classifies edible food as fruits meant for consumption, while Theravada identifies edible food as nutritional elements essential for maintaining the physical body, paralleling the role of mental inputs for mental health. In both traditions, edible food serves the fundamental purpose of nourishing and sustaining living beings.
Synonyms: Nourishment, Sustenance, Provisions, Eatable
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Buddhist concept of 'Edible food'
In Buddhism, "edible food" symbolizes the essential nutritional elements needed for physical sustenance, paralleling how mental inputs nurture mental well-being, emphasizing the holistic balance between physical and mental nourishment.
From: A Manual of Abhidhamma
(1) Type of sustenance that physically nourishes the material body.[1] (2) Nutritional elements that sustain the physical body, analogous to how mental inputs sustain mental states.[2]
From: Introducing Buddhist Abhidhamma
(1) Food that can be consumed for nutrition and sustenance.[3]
Hindu concept of 'Edible food'
In Hinduism, edible food primarily includes consumable fruits, distinguishing them from those intended for medicinal purposes, emphasizing the importance of nourishment and the spiritual significance of what is consumed.
From: Bhesajjakkhandhaka (Chapter on Medicine)
(1) Fruits that can be consumed for nourishment or making drinks, in contrast to those used primarily as medicines.[4]