The Precept of Not Eating After Noon

The Original Text of the Sixteenth Volume of the Ekottarika Āgama, Gaochuang Chapter: Like the Arhats, for the entire lifespan, they do not violate the precepts of fasting. They consistently eat at the proper time, eating sparingly and being content, not attached to flavors. I shall now also be like this: for the entire lifespan, I will not violate the precepts of fasting. I will consistently eat at the proper time, eating sparingly and being content, not attached to flavors, from today until tomorrow morning.

Explanation: Like the Arhats, throughout their entire lifespan, they do not break the precepts of fasting. They consistently eat before noon, consuming food sparingly and being content, without greed for food or drink, and without craving for the sense object of taste. I now also aspire to be like this: throughout my entire life, I will not break the precepts of fasting. I will consistently eat at the appropriate mealtime, abstaining from food after noon, eating sparingly and being content, not clinging to the sense object of taste, from today until tomorrow morning.

This is the Eight Precepts observed for one day and one night. Those with the conditions may undertake them for seven days and seven nights, or they may observe them daily, generating immeasurable merit. During the Buddha's time, Arhats and all monastics ate only once a day at noon throughout their lives, abstaining from food after noon. They specialized in cultivation, free from worldly affairs, spending much time in seated meditation. With pure minds, maintaining the practice of eating only at noon was easily sustained. Among lay Buddhists, some were able to abstain from eating after noon. In the Dharma-Ending Age, maintaining the precept of abstaining from food after noon is somewhat difficult. Unless they are retired lay practitioners without work commitments who can uphold it, those with jobs find it very challenging. Monastics in monasteries, if burdened with many temple affairs, unable to find stability, with little meditation practice and impure minds, also find it difficult to maintain the precept of abstaining from food after noon. The Buddha established this precept so that practitioners' minds could remain pure, facilitating their practice and entry into the Path. If one eats excessively, it increases greed and attachment. Secondly, the stomach is constantly busy digesting food, causing the mind to become impure and unable to concentrate on cultivation or contemplate problems. Especially eating in the evening, when the stomach is busy digesting food, the mind becomes unsettled, meditation cannot arise, and calm contemplation cannot be achieved. Therefore, eating sparingly is beneficial for cultivation.

Some people use the precepts to constrain the Buddha, expecting the Buddha to observe the precept of abstaining from food after noon. Not only do they not make offerings to the Buddha in the evening, but they also refrain from making offerings in the afternoon. Why do these people treat all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas this way? It is because ordinary beings do not understand the state of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and do not comprehend the essential meaning of the precepts. They regard Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as ordinary beings like themselves, and moreover, as human ordinary beings. Thus, they assume that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas should observe the precept of abstaining from food after noon, just like human beings.

When the Buddha established this precept in the past, it was to enable practitioners to maintain pure minds, free from the disturbance of food, so they could practice continuously, apply effort without interruption, and avoid states of distraction or dullness that would hinder their cultivation. However, this precept does not apply to the Buddha and the great Bodhisattvas. Even when Buddhas and Bodhisattvas dwell in the human realm in human form, they should not be confined by this precept. Firstly, the Buddha does not need to practice cultivation. Secondly, the Buddha possesses immeasurable spiritual attainments and can transform and resolve food. He may choose not to eat, or he may consume immeasurable amounts, all without affecting his body or mind. Nevertheless, during his time in the human realm, the Buddha also abstained from eating after noon. This was to set an example and model for sentient beings. However, when among devas (celestial beings), the Buddha was not constrained by the precept of abstaining from food after noon; he accepted various offerings from devas anytime and anywhere.

When Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not in the human realm, residing in their respective Buddha-lands, the division between day and night is not based on sunlight. Moreover, one minute in another Buddha-land may equal several days in the human world of the Saha realm. How, then, can human morning and evening times correspond to the time in other Buddha-lands? In the heavenly realms above the desire realm's Trayastrimsa Heaven (Heaven of the Thirty-Three), there is no sun; natural light manifests, eliminating the need for sunlight. Thus, above Trayastrimsa Heaven, there is no darkness, no night. Other Buddha-lands also have no darkness or night; in the Buddha's world, there is no concept of night at all. The human precept of abstaining from food after noon loses all significance when transposed to a different space-time context. Therefore, when making offerings to the Buddha, there is no need to consider human concepts of day, night, or other time periods.

Furthermore, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas possess immeasurable wisdom to discern whether to eat or not, how much to eat, and when to eat. How could the wisdom of ordinary beings presume to speculate upon or restrict the actions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Therefore, offerings to the Buddha are not subject to time restrictions. In the Buddha's state, there is no time; distinctions like early or late do not exist. The Buddha accepts offerings solely to enable sentient beings to accumulate merit; he himself needs nothing. Even if he did need something, the Buddha could manifest it himself, accomplishing it instantly. The Buddha is also not bound by precepts. With his immeasurable wisdom and virtues, he long ago transcended the need for any precepts to constrain him. Human beings should not demand that devas, divine beings, and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas conform to human habits and customs.

The human mind is confined within the scope of human life and cannot comprehend beings and states beyond the human realm, such as those of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We Buddhists should strive to break through humanity's narrow-minded thoughts, limited perspectives, and various habits. Humans walk on two legs; devas fly through the air. We should not use the rules governing human walking to regulate the behavior of devas capable of flight, much less use the rules of human ordinary beings to restrict and regulate the mental activities and conduct of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Compared to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, humans are like infants and toddlers, unable to understand or imagine the mental activities and states of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This is why various misunderstandings and incomprehensions arise. We should strive to expand our mental capacity and broaden our vision, endeavoring to break free from the narrow, unreasonable, and immature thoughts of ordinary beings, and strive to align ourselves more closely with the thought realms and behavioral standards of higher forms of life.