解脫道論 乞食相應五法

The five items in this passage concern eating.

Alms-food practice, sequential alms-food practice, eating at one sitting, measured eating, and not eating after the proper time—five matters, five rules. Read through them, however, and one finds that the criteria the author gives grow finer step by step.

For the first item, alms-food practice, the criterion is kind: invitations are of three kinds—a meal-like invitation, an approach invitation, and an exceeding invitation. Not accepting these three is undertaking; accepting them is loss.

For the second item, sequential alms-food practice, the criterion is sequence: after entering a settlement, one counts the last house as the first and proceeds from house to house; if one skips over the adjacent house, the practice is lost. The criterion changes from “which kind” to “which house.”

For the third item, eating at one sitting, the criterion is boundary: at what point does this meal end? To address this, the author frames a separate question—“What is a boundary?”—four Chinese characters used only once in the entire treatise. The three are the sitting boundary, the water boundary, and the food boundary: rising from the sitting place, accepting water and washing the bowl, and giving rise to the perception “last” regarding the last portion and swallowing it. The criterion changes from “which house” to “which moment within a meal.”

For the fourth item, measured eating, the criterion is measure: when accepting a meal, one reflects for oneself on how much is needed, takes this as a standing standard, and does not take too much. Here the author asks only about undertaking and loss, without asking “how many kinds”—because measured eating has no kinds to count; it is a measure one sets for oneself.

For the fifth item, not eating after the proper time, the criterion is number: one of its two boundaries is vinaya-based (accepting additional food incurs the offense of a separate invitation), while the other is counted—having eaten twenty-one portions of morsel food, one should accept no more.

Thus, once the five items have been read, their criteria form a single line: kind → sequence → boundary → measure → number.

By the final item, the criterion is fine enough to count portion by portion.

This is how the chapter proceeds from beginning to end. Its account of qualities reaches very high—freedom to advance or stop, a mind free of obstruction, benefiting all with a mind of equality, being like the moon that appears seldom and is gazed upon by people—yet at the end of every item, the author returns to something that can be counted or pointed out.

The higher register says why one should do this; the lower register says what counts as having done it. Only when both are present does the item stand.

The most uneven item in this passage is eating at one sitting. Its closing formula occurs twice, once before the qualities have even been stated; its wording for seeing the fault differs from the other items; and its question adds one more question concerning “boundary.” All three departures are recorded as they stand.

The passage cannot explain why the author departs from the pattern in this item. What can be seen is simply this: where the criterion grows finer, the wording grows less settled.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Five Practices Associated with Alms-Food · Doorway · Summer 2026

1. Alms-Food Practice

What is undertaking alms-food practice?

If one accepts invitations from others, this obstructs one’s own work; one does not act to please people; and one does not sit knee to knee together with bhikkhus who do not accord with Dhamma.

Knowing these dangers and further seeing the qualities of alms-food practice—From this day forward I cut off invitations from others and undertake alms-food practice.

The Qualities of Alms-Food Practice

What are the qualities of alms-food practice?

One advances or stops freely according to what one wishes in one’s own mind; does not expect food offerings; removes indolence; cuts off pride; does not crave flavors; benefits living beings; and always moves in the four directions with a mind free of obstruction—The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.

Question: How Many Kinds of Invitation Are There? What Counts as Undertaking? What Counts as Loss?

Question: How many kinds of invitation are there? What is undertaking? What is loss?

Answer: There are three kinds of invitation: first, a meal-like invitation; second, an approach invitation; and third, an exceeding invitation.

Apart from these three kinds of invitation, one undertakes alms-food practice. If one accepts these three kinds of invitation, one loses alms-food practice.

2. Sequential Alms-Food Practice

What is undertaking sequential alms-food practice?

If one obtains much delicious food at a place in the sequence, one does not go there again; if one does go there again, one is accepting regular food. If there is a doubtful place, one should also keep away from it.

Knowing these dangers and further seeing the qualities of sequential alms-food practice—From this day forward I abandon alms-going out of sequence and undertake sequential alms-food practice.

The Qualities of Sequential Alms-Food Practice

What are the qualities of sequential alms-food practice?

With a mind of equality, one benefits all; removes the evils of hatred and jealousy; cuts off the fault of overfamiliar association; does not delight in being summoned; does not delight in much speech; keeps far from people’s dwellings; and leaves hurried walking behind—like the moon, seldom appearing and gazed upon by people. The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.

Question: What Is Called Sequential Alms-Food Practice? What Counts as Undertaking? What Counts as Loss?

Question: What is called sequential alms-food practice? What is undertaking? What is loss?

Answer: When a bhikkhu begins going for alms-food and enters a settlement, the last house is counted as the first in the sequence—this is called going sequentially for alms-food.

What is loss? One skips over the adjacent house; this is called loss.

3. Eating at One Sitting

What is undertaking eating at one sitting?

It means that at two sitting places one repeatedly sits, repeatedly accepts food, and repeatedly washes the bowl. The opposite of this is called eating at one sitting. The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.

Knowing the fault to be such and seeing the qualities of eating at one sitting, one should therefore undertake it. From this day forward I abandon eating at two sittings and undertake eating at one sitting.

The Qualities of Eating at One Sitting

What are the qualities of eating at one sitting?

Neither too much nor too little; no craving for impure offerings; no various illnesses or distress; no obstruction in rising and sitting; and ease in one’s own affairs—The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.

Question: What Counts as Undertaking Eating at One Sitting? What Is a Boundary? What Counts as Loss?

Question: What is undertaking eating at one sitting? What is a boundary? What is loss?

Answer: There are three kinds of boundary: the sitting boundary, the water boundary, and the food boundary.

What is the sitting boundary? After eating, one is still seated.

Upon accepting water and washing the bowl, one may not eat again—this is called the water boundary.

What is the food boundary? If, with respect to morsel food, one gives rise to the perception that it is the last and then swallows it, one does not eat again—this is called the food boundary.

If one passes through a second sitting, one loses the single meal; excepted are water, medicine, and the like praised by the buddhas—this is called the food boundary.

4. Measured Eating

What is undertaking measured eating?

If food and drink are taken without measure, the body grows heavy with sleep; greedy delight constantly arises, and there is never satisfaction for the belly.

Having known this fault and seen the qualities of measured eating—From this day forward I will certainly not engage in greedy indulgence, and I undertake measured eating.

The Qualities of Measured Eating

What are the qualities of measured eating?

One measures the food one eats and does not indulge the belly; eating much increases weakness, and knowing this, one does not delight in it; one removes craving, eliminates illness, and cuts off every kind of indolence—The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.

Question: What Counts as Undertaking Measured Eating? What Counts as Loss?

Question: What is undertaking measured eating? What is loss?

Answer: When accepting a meal, one should reflect for oneself on how much is needed, take this as the standing standard, and not take additional food.

Knowing well how to measure and cutting off the absence of any limit—this is called measured eating. If it is not so, this is loss.

5. Not Eating after the Proper Time

What is undertaking not eating after the proper time?

One cuts off expectant thought and leaves additional food behind.

Knowing these dangers and seeing the qualities of not eating after the proper time—From this day forward I cut off additional food and undertake not eating after the proper time.

The Qualities of Not Eating after the Proper Time

What are the qualities of not eating after the proper time?

One cuts off what one craves and delights in; restrains and guards the body; leaves overnight food behind; stops what one seeks to procure; makes no request of others; and does not follow the mind’s desires—The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.

Question: How Many Kinds Are There after the Proper Time? What Counts as Undertaking? What Counts as Loss?

Question: How many kinds are there after the proper time? What is undertaking? What is loss?

Answer: There are two kinds after the proper time: the non-restraint boundary and the undertaking boundary.

What is the non-restraint boundary? If one accepts additional food, one incurs the offense of a separate invitation and should not eat again.

What is the undertaking boundary? Having eaten twenty-one portions of morsel food, one should not accept any more.

Not eating after the proper time cuts off additional food; if one accepts additional food, one loses not eating after the proper time.

Several Points That Should Be Retained

Throughout the five items in this passage, the closing formula is “The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.” Yet in the item on eating at one sitting it occurs twice: once immediately after “the opposite of this is called eating at one sitting,” before the qualities have yet been stated, and once at the end of the qualities. Each of the other four items has it only once. This is recorded as it stands.

The wording for seeing the fault takes three forms across the five items in this passage: alms-food practice, sequential alms-food practice, and not eating after the proper time say “knowing these dangers”; eating at one sitting says “knowing the fault to be such”; and measured eating says “having known this fault.” This is recorded as it stands.

The matters asked in the five questions are also uneven: alms-food practice asks “how many kinds of invitation are there”; sequential alms-food practice asks “what is called sequential alms-food practice”; not eating after the proper time asks “how many kinds are there after the proper time”; eating at one sitting asks “what is undertaking eating at one sitting” and adds a second question, “what is a boundary”; and measured eating asks only the two matters of undertaking and loss. This is recorded as it stands.

Among the three boundaries, the sitting boundary has no closing formula. The water boundary has “this is called the water boundary,” while the food boundary has “this is called the food boundary,” and “this is called the food boundary” occurs twice. Beneath the sitting boundary there are only the words “after eating, one is still seated,” followed immediately by the water boundary. Moreover, “if one passes through a second sitting, one loses the single meal” concerns sitting, yet is attached under the name of the food boundary. All of this is retained according to the literal wording, without moving or supplying anything on the text’s behalf.

The punctuation of the sentence “What is the sitting boundary? After eating, one is still seated. Upon accepting water and washing the bowl, one may not eat again; this is called the water boundary” remains doubtful: this passage cannot decide whether “after eating, one is still seated” should be read together with what follows, “upon accepting water and washing the bowl.” The wording is retained literally here, without deciding on the text’s behalf.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Five Practices Associated with Alms-Food · Vernacular · Summer 2026

The preceding passage〔404b21 onward〕established the pattern for this chapter: each item proceeds through “seeing the danger → seeing the qualities → making the undertaking → enumerating the qualities → closing formula → question on undertaking and loss.” Once the second item, the three robes, has completed that sequence, the pattern is fixed.

The five items in the present passage—alms-food practice, sequential alms-food practice, eating at one sitting, measured eating, and not eating after the proper time—are the first group to proceed straight through according to this pattern.

Yet one of them does not proceed evenly.

The item on eating at one sitting departs from the pattern in three places.

The first lies in the closing formula. At the end of the qualities of each item in this chapter, there must be the sentence “The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt.” There are five items in this passage but six occurrences of this sentence—alms-food practice〔405a10〕, sequential alms-food practice〔405a19〕, eating at one sitting〔405a24〕, eating at one sitting〔405a28〕, measured eating〔405b09–10〕, and not eating after the proper time〔405b17〕. Within the item on eating at one sitting, this sentence occurs twice. Among the thirteen items, this is the only one in which it is repeated.

The second lies in the wording for recognizing the fault. Alms-food practice says “Knowing these dangers, one further sees the qualities of alms-food practice” 〔405a06〕; sequential alms-food practice says “Knowing these dangers, one further sees the qualities of sequential alms-food practice” 〔405a15〕; and not eating after the proper time says “Knowing these dangers, one sees the qualities of not eating after the proper time” 〔405b14〕—the same form in three items. Eating at one sitting, however, says “Knowing the fault to be such and seeing the qualities of eating at one sitting, one should therefore undertake it” 〔405a25–26〕, while measured eating says “Having known this fault and seen the qualities of measured eating” 〔405b06–07〕. “Knowing the fault to be such” occurs once in the entire treatise, and “having known this fault” occurs once in the entire treatise. Five items, three forms.

The third lies in the form of the question on undertaking and loss. The other four items all ask about “undertaking” and “loss,” but the item on eating at one sitting asks “What is undertaking eating at one sitting? What is a boundary? What is loss?” 〔405a29〕—“What is a boundary?” occurs once in the entire treatise.

This edition does not make these three departures uniform. The items are read one by one below, with each departure viewed in its own place.

Alms-Food Practice: First It States What Is Wrong with Accepting Invitations

“What is undertaking alms-food practice? If one accepts invitations from others, this obstructs one’s own work” 〔T32 405a04–05〕—the first fault in accepting an invitation is not craving but obstructing one’s own work.

Next comes “one does not act to please people,” followed by “one does not sit knee to knee together with bhikkhus who do not accord with Dhamma” 〔T32 405a05–06〕. The third sentence is quite concrete: when one accepts an invitation to another person’s home, the seats have already been arranged, and one cannot choose who sits alongside.

Thus comes “Knowing these dangers, one further sees the qualities of alms-food practice” 〔T32 405a06〕, followed by the undertaking “From this day forward I cut off invitations from others and undertake alms-food practice” 〔T32 405a06–07〕.

Seven qualities are listed: “What are the qualities of alms-food practice? One advances or stops freely according to what one wishes in one’s own mind” 〔T32 405a07–08〕; “one does not expect food offerings, removes indolence, cuts off pride, does not crave flavors, and benefits living beings”; and the list closes with “one always moves in the four directions with a mind free of obstruction. The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” 〔T32 405a09–10〕.

The first of the seven is “advances or stops freely,” and the last is “a mind free of obstruction.” The beginning and end concern the same thing: accepting an invitation ties one’s movements to others, whereas alms-food practice does not. Only the five items between them concern cutting off afflictions.

Then comes the question on undertaking and loss: “Question: How many kinds of invitation are there? What is undertaking? What is loss?” 〔T32 405a10–11〕. The answer says, “There are three kinds of invitation: first, a meal-like invitation; second, an approach invitation; and third, an exceeding invitation” 〔T32 405a11–12〕—each of these three names occurs once in the entire treatise. “Apart from these three kinds of invitation, one undertakes alms-food practice. If one accepts these three kinds of invitation, one loses alms-food practice” 〔T32 405a12–13〕.

Three matters are asked and answered in a single breath: once the three kinds of invitation have been stated, undertaking and loss are explained at the same time—not accepting the three is undertaking; accepting them is loss. The author does not answer them separately.

Sequential Alms-Food Practice: What Is Cut Off Is “Going Again”

“What is undertaking sequential alms-food practice? If one obtains much delicious food at a place in the sequence, one does not go there again” 〔T32 405a13–14〕.

What this item guards against is choosing favored places while going for alms-food. Going once more to a place where the choice was good becomes “accepting regular food”; one should also keep away from a doubtful place.

Seven qualities are listed, and the last is a simile: “What are the qualities of sequential alms-food practice? With a mind of equality, one benefits all” 〔T32 405a16–17〕; “one removes the evils of hatred and jealousy, cuts off the fault of overfamiliar association, does not delight in being summoned, does not delight in much speech, keeps far from people’s dwellings, and leaves hurried walking behind”; and the list closes with “like the moon, seldom appearing and gazed upon by people. The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” 〔T32 405a19〕.

“Like the moon” occurs once in the entire treatise〔405a19〕. It is the only simile in this passage.

What the moon simile takes is not brightness but “seldom appearing”—because it does not appear often, people lift their eyes to look. A person who goes sequentially for alms-food does not often visit the same household, and so that household respects the person when he appears. What the simile compares is sequence, not purity.

The question on undertaking and loss is: “Question: What is called sequential alms-food practice? What is undertaking? What is loss?” 〔T32 405a20〕. The answer gives a line that can be pointed to—“When a bhikkhu begins going for alms-food and enters a settlement, the last house is counted as the first in the sequence; this is called going sequentially for alms-food” 〔T32 405a20–22〕; “What is loss? One skips over the adjacent house; this is called loss” 〔T32 405a22–23〕.

The criterion is a house address: count the last house as the first, then proceed from one house to the next; if one skips over the neighboring house, the practice is lost.

Eating at One Sitting: The First Departure—The Closing Formula Appears before the Qualities

“What is undertaking eating at one sitting? It means that at two sitting places one repeatedly sits, repeatedly accepts food, and repeatedly washes the bowl” 〔T32 405a23–24〕.

The question asks about “undertaking eating at one sitting,” but the answer begins with its opposite: two sitting places, sitting repeatedly, accepting food repeatedly, and washing the bowl repeatedly.

Then—“The opposite of this is called eating at one sitting. The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” 〔T32 405a24–25〕.

The closing formula has already appeared here. Yet at this point not a single quality has been stated; “Knowing the fault to be such and seeing the qualities of eating at one sitting, one should therefore undertake it” 〔T32 405a25–26〕comes afterward, the undertaking “From this day forward I abandon eating at two sittings and undertake eating at one sitting” 〔T32 405a26〕comes still later, and the enumeration of qualities—“What are the qualities of eating at one sitting? Neither too much nor too little; no craving for impure offerings” 〔T32 405a26–27〕, followed by “no various illnesses or distress, no obstruction in rising and sitting, and ease in one’s own affairs” 〔T32 405a27–28〕—comes last. Only then does the second “The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” appear〔T32 405a28〕.

Thus the sequence of this item becomes: opposite → closing formula → seeing the fault → undertaking → qualities → closing formula. The other twelve items all follow seeing the fault → undertaking → qualities → closing formula.

This edition neither deletes nor moves anything on the text’s behalf. It merely points out the positions of the two closing formulas: one at〔405a24〕and one at〔405a28〕, with seeing the fault, making the undertaking, and enumerating the qualities between them.

Eating at One Sitting: The Second Departure—“What Is a Boundary?”

At the question on undertaking and loss, the item on eating at one sitting adds one question: “Question: What is undertaking eating at one sitting? What is a boundary? What is loss?” 〔T32 405a28–29〕.

The answer is: “There are three kinds of boundary: the sitting boundary, the water boundary, and the food boundary” 〔T32 405a29–405b01〕.

Here “boundary” means a limit—the point at which eating must stop. The criteria for the other items are actions (one accepts a householder’s gift, one skips over the adjacent house, one accepts a fourth robe), but the criterion for eating at one sitting alone is a line within a single meal: before that line one may still eat; after it one may not. Hence a separate question is framed.

Pause: Among the Three Boundaries, Why Does the Sitting Boundary Have No Closing Formula?

As the three boundaries are explained one by one, one conspicuous irregularity appears in their form.

The sitting boundary: “What is the sitting boundary? After eating, one is still seated” 〔T32 405b01〕—four Chinese characters, with no ‘this is called the sitting boundary’ beneath them.

The water boundary: “Upon accepting water and washing the bowl, one may not eat again; this is called the water boundary” 〔T32 405b02〕—it has a closing formula.

The food boundary: “What is the food boundary? If, with respect to morsel food, one gives rise to the perception that it is the last and then swallows it, one does not eat again; this is called the food boundary” 〔T32 405b02–03〕—it has a closing formula. Below it there is another sentence: “If one passes through a second sitting, one loses the single meal; excepted are water, medicine, and the like praised by the buddhas; this is called the food boundary” 〔T32 405b04–05〕—it closes a second time.

Thus, “this is called the food boundary” occurs twice in the entire treatise〔405b03·405b04–05〕, “this is called the water boundary” occurs once in the entire treatise, and “this is called the sitting boundary” occurs zero times in the entire treatise. Three boundaries yield three closing formulas: two attached to the food boundary, one to the water boundary, and none to the sitting boundary.

One further matter deserves an even longer pause. What the final sentence discusses is sitting. “If one passes through a second sitting, one loses the single meal”—passing through a second sitting is precisely what the sitting boundary determines, yet the sentence is attached beneath “this is called the food boundary.”

It is worth pausing here to ask: has the closing formula for the sitting boundary fallen beneath the food boundary, or did the author originally take “passing through a second sitting” as one meaning of the food boundary?

This passage cannot answer. Only three things can be verified: first, among the closing formulas for the three boundaries, the food boundary has two occurrences while the sitting boundary has none; second, the matter in the final sentence belongs to sitting while its name belongs to food; third, the punctuation itself is doubtful—in “What is the sitting boundary? After eating, one is still seated. Upon accepting water and washing the bowl, one may not eat again; this is called the water boundary” 〔T32 405b01–02〕, the treatise does not make clear whether “after eating, one is still seated” forms an answer by itself or should be read together with what follows, “upon accepting water and washing the bowl.”

All three are retained according to the literal wording: nothing is moved, supplied, or decided on the text’s behalf.

In addition, the phrase “excepted are water, medicine, and the like praised by the buddhas” 〔T32 405b04〕occurs once in the entire treatise—this is the treatise’s sole statement that “the buddhas praise” something, and what is praised is the taking of water and medicine after eating. The author gives neither the words of that praise nor its source, and this edition does not investigate on the text’s behalf.

Measured Eating: The Only One of the Five Items That Asks Just Two Matters

“What is undertaking measured eating? If food and drink are taken without measure, the body grows heavy with sleep” 〔T32 405b05–06〕; its fault lies in “greedy delight constantly arises, and there is never satisfaction for the belly.”

“Having known this fault and seen the qualities of measured eating” 〔T32 405b06–07〕is followed by the undertaking “From this day forward I will certainly not engage in greedy indulgence, and I undertake measured eating” 〔T32 405b07〕.

The qualities are: “What are the qualities of measured eating? One measures the food one eats and does not indulge the belly” 〔T32 405b07–08〕; “eating much increases weakness, and knowing this, one does not delight in it; one removes craving, eliminates illness, and cuts off every kind of indolence”; and the list closes with “The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” 〔405b09–10〕.

The four Chinese characters ‘eating much increases weakness’ should be noted: eating more instead increases weakness. This does not say that eating much is an offense; it says that eating much brings no benefit—the reason the author gives for this item concerns the body, not vinaya.

The question on undertaking and loss is: “Question: What is undertaking measured eating? What is loss?” 〔T32 405b10〕—only two matters are asked. Among the five items, this alone asks neither “how many kinds” nor “what is called.”

The reason can be seen in the answer: “Knowing well how to measure and cutting off the absence of any limit is called measured eating. If it is not so, this is loss” 〔T32 405b12–13〕. Measured eating has no countable kinds—it is not three kinds of invitation, two kinds after the proper time, or three boundaries. It is a measure in which “one reflects for oneself on how much is needed and takes this as the standing standard.” Because there are no kinds to count, the author does not ask how many.

Not Eating after the Proper Time: Two Boundaries, One of Them Twenty-One Portions

“What is undertaking not eating after the proper time? One cuts off expectant thought and leaves additional food behind” 〔T32 405b13–14〕. What is cut off is “expectant thought”—the expectation that there will still be food to eat after the proper time has passed.

“Knowing these dangers and seeing the qualities of not eating after the proper time” 〔T32 405b14〕is followed by the undertaking “From this day forward I cut off additional food and undertake not eating after the proper time” 〔T32 405b14–15〕.

The qualities are: “What are the qualities of not eating after the proper time? One cuts off what one craves and delights in, and restrains and guards the body” 〔T32 405b15–16〕; “one leaves overnight food behind, stops what one seeks to procure, makes no request of others, and does not follow the mind’s desires” 〔T32 405b16–17〕; and the list closes with “The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” 〔405b17〕.

The four Chinese characters ‘makes no request of others’—one need not open one’s mouth to ask someone. This corresponds to “does not expect food offerings” in the item on alms-food practice〔405a08〕: one concerns not expecting, the other not speaking.

The question on undertaking and loss is: “Question: How many kinds are there after the proper time? What is undertaking? What is loss?” 〔T32 405b18〕. The answer says, “There are two kinds after the proper time: the non-restraint boundary and the undertaking boundary” 〔T32 405b18–19〕.

“Non-restraint boundary” occurs twice in the entire treatise, “undertaking boundary” occurs twice in the entire treatise (each once in the list and once in its heading), and “offense of a separate invitation” occurs once in the entire treatise〔405b20〕.

“What is the non-restraint boundary? If one accepts additional food, one incurs the offense of a separate invitation and should not eat again” 〔T32 405b19–20〕—this boundary belongs to vinaya: accepting additional food incurs the offense of a separate invitation.

“What is the undertaking boundary? Having eaten twenty-one portions of morsel food, one should not accept any more” 〔T32 405b20–21〕—this boundary is counted: twenty-one portions.

By this point in the chapter, the criterion has become fine enough to count portion by portion. It closes with “Not eating after the proper time cuts off what is additional; if one accepts additional food, one loses not eating after the proper time” 〔T32 405b21–22〕.

Looking Back Once: The Five Single-Phrase Objects Cut Off in the Preceding Passage

The preceding passage〔404c04–11〕gave, in a single sentence for each of the thirteen items, the thing that it cuts off. The five belonging to the present passage are: “What is alms-food practice? It is cutting off invitations from others” 〔T32 404c05–06〕; “What is sequential alms-food practice? It is cutting off alms-going that skips over the sequence” 〔T32 404c06〕; “What is eating at one sitting? It is not sitting down a second time” 〔T32 404c06–07〕; “What is measured eating? Cutting off greedy indulgence” 〔T32 404c07〕; and “What is not eating after the proper time? It is cutting off expectations after the proper time” 〔T32 404c07–08〕.

Set these five sentences beside the longer form of each item in the present passage, and one thing becomes visible: the objects cut off in the five sentences are unfolded here without changing a word.

“Cutting off invitations from others”—the present passage says “if one accepts invitations from others, this obstructs one’s own work” 〔T32 405a04–05〕, and the question on undertaking and loss concerns precisely three kinds of invitation〔T32 405a11–12〕.

“Cutting off alms-going that skips over the sequence”—the present passage says “What is loss? One skips over the adjacent house; this is called loss” 〔T32 405a22–23〕. The words “skips over” appear twice, once in the general account in the preceding passage and once in the determination of loss here.

“Not sitting down a second time”—the present passage says “at two sitting places one repeatedly sits, repeatedly accepts food, and repeatedly washes the bowl. The opposite of this is called eating at one sitting” 〔T32 405a23–24〕; the end of the three boundaries further says “if one passes through a second sitting, one loses the single meal” 〔T32 405b04〕.

“Cutting off greedy indulgence”—the present passage says “From this day forward I will certainly not engage in greedy indulgence, and I undertake measured eating” 〔T32 405b07〕. The words “greedy indulgence” occur in both places.

“Cutting off expectations after the proper time”—the present passage says “one cuts off expectant thought and leaves additional food behind” 〔T32 405b13–14〕. The preceding passage says “expectations after the proper time,” while the present passage says “expectant thought”: one Chinese character changes, while the referent remains the same.

Thus the single sentence in the preceding passage is the outline of the present passage, and the long form here is the itemization of that sentence. This is how the treatise proceeds: first it gives a one-phrase answer, then a passage-length answer, and the one phrase remains throughout.

This method will appear again in later chapters: the author first establishes an extremely short definition, and the longer text that follows merely spreads that definition out. The short sentence must not be passed over—it is the skeleton of all the words that follow.

Reading Practice: To Read One Item of the Ascetic Practices, Read Its “Question” First

The reading practice this passage offers lies in its five questions.

Each of the five items has one “Question:” that begins its question-and-answer section, but the matters asked are not uniform:

Alms-food practice asks “how many kinds of invitation are there?”〔405a10〕; sequential alms-food practice asks “what is called sequential alms-food practice?”〔405a20〕; eating at one sitting asks “what is undertaking eating at one sitting? What is a boundary?”〔405a29〕; measured eating asks “what is undertaking measured eating? What is loss?”〔405b10〕; and not eating after the proper time asks “how many kinds are there after the proper time?”〔405b18〕.

How many matters are asked, and which matters are asked, are precisely what the author means to determine in that item.

Those that ask “how many kinds” (alms-food practice and not eating after the proper time) do so because the object they cut off has countable kinds—three kinds of invitation and two boundaries. The one that asks “what is called” (sequential alms-food practice) does so because its difficulty lies in the name rather than the number—what counts as “sequential.” The one that asks “what is a boundary” (eating at one sitting) does so because its criterion is a line. The one that asks only the two matters of undertaking and loss (measured eating) does so because it has neither a countable kind nor a boundary that can be pointed to, but only a standing standard one sets for oneself.

Thus this chapter may be read as follows: do not read the answer first; first read the sentence marked “Question.” However many matters the question asks, that item has that many levels of criterion; whichever words begin the question (“how many kinds” / “what is called” / “what is a boundary”), there lies the difficulty of that item.

This method can be used throughout the treatise’s question-and-answer form: the author’s question is not rhetoric; it is the outline he has drawn for himself.

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Take away three things. One observation: among the five items, eating at one sitting departs from the pattern in three places: the closing formula “The conduct of good people—this action—is free of doubt” is repeated twice〔405a24·405a28〕, with its first occurrence before the qualities (among the thirteen items, only this one repeats it); its wording for recognizing the fault is “knowing the fault to be such” 〔405a25〕(once in the entire treatise; the five items have three forms, including measured eating’s “having known this fault” 〔405b06〕, also once in the entire treatise); and the question on undertaking and loss adds “what is a boundary?” 〔405a29〕(once in the entire treatise). One reading practice: to read one item of the ascetic practices, read its “Question” first: however many matters are asked, there are that many levels of criterion, and the words used in the question (“how many kinds” / “what is called” / “what is a boundary”) show where the difficulty of the item lies. One place to pause: among the three boundaries, the sitting boundary alone has no closing formula (its heading is at 405b01): “this is called the food boundary” occurs twice in the entire treatise〔405b03·405b04–05〕, “this is called the water boundary” occurs once〔405b02〕, and the sitting boundary has no closing formula; the final sentence concerns sitting while its name belongs to food, and the punctuation too is doubtful. The author does not state why, and this edition does not move, supply, or decide anything on the text’s behalf.

Three smaller matters should also be retained: “like the moon” occurs once in the entire treatise〔405a19〕, the only simile in this passage, and what it compares is “seldom appearing,” not brightness; “praised by the buddhas” occurs once in the entire treatise〔405b04〕, what is praised being the taking of water and medicine after eating, without the words or source of the praise being given; and the number “twenty-one portions of morsel food”〔405b20〕and the “offense of a separate invitation”〔405b20〕(once in the entire treatise) stand together as the two boundaries of not eating after the proper time—one emerges from measure, the other from vinaya.

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Shi Huijing · Waken · The Path of Freedom · Five Practices Associated with Alms-Food · Exposition · Summer 2026