‘All creatures subsist by nutriment’ (sabbe sattāhāraṭṭhitikā). Extraordinary as it may seem the philosophical implications of the necessity for nutriment as a condition for conscious existence have never been faced by European philosophers.
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Thus I heard. Once the Auspicious One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta's Grove, in Anāthapindika's Park. There the Auspicious One addressed the monks.
—Monks!
—Lord! those monks assented to the Auspicious One. The Auspicious One said this.
—There are, monks, these four foods staying creatures that have become[b] or assisting those seeking to be. Which are the four? Solid food, coarse or fine; secondly contact; thirdly mental intention; fourthly consciousness. These, monks, are the four foods staying creatures that have become or assisting those seeking to be.
And how, monks, should solid food be regarded? Suppose, monks, a man and his wife taking few provisions set out on a desert track; and they have a beloved only son. And when they are in the desert the few provisions of that man and wife are consumed and run out; and they still have the rest of the desert to cross. And then, monks, that man and wife think 'Our few provisions are consumed and have run out, and there is the rest of the desert to cross: what if we were to kill this darling and beloved only son of ours, prepare dried and cured meat, and eating our son's flesh we were in this way to cross the rest of the desert? Let not all three perish.' Then, monks, that man and wife kill that darling and beloved only son, prepare dried and cured meat, and eating their son's flesh in this way they cross the rest of the desert. And as they eat their son's flesh they beat their breast 'Where is our only son! Where is our only son!' What think you, monks, would they be taking food for sport? Would they be taking food for pleasure? Would they be taking food for adornment? Would they be taking food for embellishment?
—No indeed, lord.
—Would they not be taking food, monks, just for crossing the desert?
—Yes, lord.
—It is in just this way, monks, that I say solid food should be regarded. When solid food is comprehended, monks, the lust of the five strands of sensuality[c] is comprehended: when the lust of the five strands of sensuality is comprehended, there is no attachment attached by which a noble disciple should again return to this world.
And how, monks, should contact-food be regarded? Suppose, monks, there is a flayed cow: if she stands against a wall she is devoured by the animals living on the wall; if she stands against a tree she is devoured by the animals on the tree; if she stands in the water she is devoured by the animals living in the water; if she stands in the open she is devoured by the animals living in the open. Wherever, monks, that flayed cow may stand she is devoured by the animals living in that place. It is in just this way, monks, that I say contact-food should be regarded.
When contact-food is comprehended, monks, the three feelings[d] are comprehended; when the three feelings are comprehended, there is nothing further, I say, for the noble disciple to do.
And how, monks, should mental-intention-food be regarded? Suppose, monks, there is a charcoal-pit deeper than a man's height, and full of clear glowing charcoal; and there comes a man who likes life and dislikes death, who likes pleasure and dislikes pain; and two powerful men seize his two arms and drag him towards that charcoal-pit: then, monks, that man,s intention would be directed elsewhere, his desire would be directed elsewhere, his aspiration would be directed elsewhere. Why is that? That man, monks, thinks 'If I fall into this charcoal-pit I shall thereby meet with death or with pains like those of dying'. It is in just this way, monks, that I say mental-intention-food should be regarded.
When mental-intention-food is comprehended, monks, the three cravings[e] are comprehended; when the three cravings are comprehended, there is nothing further, I say, for the noble disciple to do.
And how, monks, should consciousness-food be regarded? Suppose, monks, a guilty thief is caught and brought before the king: 'This, sire, is a guilty thief: sentence him to what punishment you please'. The king says 'Go, my friend, and wound this fellow a hundred times this morning with a spear'. And they wound him a hundred times in the morning with a spear. Then at midday the king says 'My friend, how is that fellow?' 'Sire, he is still alive.' The king says 'Go, my friend, and wound that fellow a hundred times now at midday with a spear'. And they wound him a hundred times at midday with a spear. Then at nightfall the king says 'My friend, how is that fellow?' 'Sire, he is still alive.' The king says 'Go, my friend, and wound that fellow a hundred times now at nightfall with a spear'. And they wound him a hundred times at nightfall with a spear. What do you think, monks, would this man being wounded three hundred times during the day with a spear thereby experience pain and grief?
—Even, lord, being wounded once with a spear he would thereby experience pain and grief. How much more three hundred times!
—It is in just this way, monks, that I say consciousness-food should be regarded. When consciousness-food is comprehended, monks, name-&-matter is comprehended; when name-&-matter is comprehended, there is nothing further, I say, for the noble disciple to do.
So said the Auspicious One. Those monks were gladdened and delighted in the Auspicious One's words. (Nidāna Samy. 63: ii,97-100)
Monks, do you see 'this has become'?
—Yes, lord.
—Monks, do you see 'coming-to-be with this food'?
—Yes, lord.
—Monks, do you see 'with cessation of this food, what has become is subject to cessation'?
—Yes, lord.
—In one who is doubtful, monks, 'What if this has not become?', there arises uncertainty.
—Yes, lord.
—In one who is doubtful, monks, 'What if there is not coming-to-be with this food?', there arises uncertainty.
—Yes, lord.
—In one who is doubtful, monks, 'What if with cessation of this food, what has become is not subject to cessation?', there arises uncertainty.
—Yes, lord.
—By one who sees with right understanding as it really is, monks, 'This has become', uncertainty is abandoned.
—Yes, lord.
—By one who sees with right understanding as it really is, monks, 'Coming-to-be with this food', uncertainty is abandoned.
—Yes, lord.
—By one who sees with right understanding as it really is, monks, 'With cessation of this food, what has become is subject to cessation', uncertainty is abandoned.
—Yes, lord.
—'This has come to be': herein, monks, are you free from uncertainty?
—Yes, lord.
—'Coming-to-be with this food': herein, monks, are you free from uncertainty?
—Yes, lord.
—'With cessation of this food, what has become is subject to cessation': herein, monks, are you free from uncertainty?
—Yes, lord.
—'This has come to be' is well seen with right understanding as it really is?
—Yes, lord.
—'Coming-to-be with this food' is well seen with right understanding as it really is?
—Yes, lord.
—'With cessation of this food, what has become is subject to cessation' is well seen with right understanding as it really is?
—Yes, lord.
—If, monks, you were to cling to this cleansed and purified view, if you were to treasure it, adhere to it, or cherish it, would you then, monks, be comprehending the teaching of the parable of the raft[f] as something for crossing over with, not for holding on to?
—No indeed, lord.
—If, monks, you were not to cling to this cleansed and purified view, if you were not to treasure it, adhere to it, or cherish it, would you then, monks, be comprehending the teaching of the parable of the raft as something for crossing over with, not for holding on to?
—Yes, lord.
—There are, monks, these four foods staying creatures that have become or assisting those seeking to be. Which are the four? Solid food, coarse or fine; secondly contact; thirdly mental intention; fourthly consciousness. And these four foods: what is their occasion, what is their arising, what is their provenance, what is their origin? These four foods: craving is their occasion, craving is their arising, craving is their provenance, craving is their origin.
And this craving...? ...feeling is its origin.
And this feeling...? ...contact is its origin.
And this contact...? ...the six bases are its origin.
And these six bases...? ...name-&-matter is their origin.
And this name-&-matter...? ...consciousness is its origin.
And this consciousness...? ...determinations are its origin.
And these determinations: what is their occasion, what is their arising, what is their provenance, what is their origin? These determinations: nescience[g] is their occasion, nescience is their arising, nescience is their provenance, nescience is their origin.
Thus, monks, with nescience as condition, determinations; with determinations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, name-&-matter; with name-&-matter as condition, the six bases; with the six bases as condition, contact; with contact as condition, feeling; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, holding; with holding as condition, being; with being as condition, birth; with birth as condition, ageing-&-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair, come to be: thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering. (M. 38: i,260-263)
Footnotes to editorial notes:
[137.1.a] I.e. the being to be reborn.
[137.1.b] 'Become' both here and below (in 4) is equivalent to 'come into being'.
[137.1.c] Pleasing sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches.
[137.1.d] Pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral.
[137.1.e] Being, un-being, sensuality.
[137.1.f] See M. 22 for the parable of the raft.
[137.1.g] Or 'ignorance'—avijjā.
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The concept of nutriment depends (a) upon association and (b) upon impermanence and (c) upon hunger. Hunger, seeking for satisfaction, devours x, which is associated with y that gives it satisfaction; but the satisfaction given is impermanent and thereby renews the hunger. “I” hungering for satisfaction, devour (x) food (eye object, taste, smell, touch object), the contact of which is associated with (y) pleasant feeling that gives satisfaction; but the satisfaction given by pleasant feeling is impermanent and by changing renews the pain of hunger.
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Eating is surely an entirely repellent and utterly unjustified process. The enjoyment of the senses of taste and smell and the satisfying of hunger are, in fact, enjoyable and “innocent” only if one shuts one’s eyes to all those things that eating necessitates, such as killing of animals, etc. To become a vegetarian is no escape at all, for then one’s eating still involves the killing of millions of animals in the cultivation of vegetables and the killing of vegetables themselves, which are alive in their own way. The vegetarian has nothing to do with meat, but by his eating he still destroys life on a huge scale. Not to eat is to suffer and to cut one’s life short, for no kind of existence is possible without eating. When I eat I think of the people who haven’t got enough to eat, and then my eating cannot be justified except by my arbitrary choice and decision that I and not they shall eat, for which I alone am responsible, and for which I have no ultimate justification. But if the world were better organized, which it could well be, and everyone had enough to eat, and if I lived on vegetables alone, still I am not justified, except by my own arbitrary choice, for that destruction of animals and plants that is necessitated. I have chosen to live and to take part in this destruction simply because I want to—because to live is to destroy, just as to create is to destroy; it is only a process of change to which I can equally well apply the word “creation” or “destruction,” according as I choose to feel about it. I know all the arguments used to justify such things. They stand, but the opposite standpoint remains unaffected by them. It is, in the end, I who am responsible for this state of things, for this eating and for the destruction that it necessitates. Then why not stop eating and die? What, and be at once be reborn again, having forgotten what I have learned in this life, and start eating again?
There is no way out there. The choice is not between eating (and living) and not eating (and dying and being reborn).
Nanamoli Thera
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