Obsessed with Eating (sutra)

The Four Nutriments of Life An Anthology of Buddhist Texts with introductory essay by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Eliza Darcey (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Four Nutriments of Existence

§ 1. One Thing... Meditators, when a meditator becomes entirely dispassionate towards one thing, when lust for it entirely fades away, when one is entirely liberated from it, when one sees the complete ending of it, then that person is one who, after fully comprehending the goal (nirvana), makes an end of all suffering here and now.

What one thing? "All beings subsist on nutriment." When a meditator becomes entirely dispassionate towards this one thing (ahara, nutriment), when lust for it entirely fades away, when one is entirely liberated from it, and when one sees the complete ending of it, then, O meditators, one is one who, after fully comprehending the goal, makes an end of all suffering here and now.

— AN 10.27

• § 2. Similes for the Four Nutriments

The Son's Flesh Sutra and Similes

Thus have I heard. At Savatthi. The Buddha said: "There are, O meditators, four nutriments

• [Note 7: Pali: ahara, from aharati, "to take up, to take on to oneself, to bring, carry, fetch."]

for the sustenance of beings that have been born and for the support of beings seeking rebirth.

• [8: Of "beings born" — bhutanam, literally, of those who have come into existence. Of "beings seeking birth" — bhavesinam, lit.: "of these seeking existence." The latter term refers, according to the Commentary, in the case of egg-born and womb-born beings, to the in between period before they have emerged from the shell or the membranous sheath in the case of humans. Beings born of moisture (sedaja) or "spontaneously" (opapatika) are called "seeking birth" at their first thought moment.]

"What are the four?

1. edible food, coarse and fine [9: kabali'nkaro aharo, lit.: "morsel-made food."  Commentary: "It is a term for the nutritive essence (oja) of which boiled rice etc., is the (coarse) basic (vatthu)."]
2. sense impression [10: (or "contact," phassa) is sixfold, through the: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.]
3. volitions [11: "Volitional thought" mano-san-cetana, is according to the Commentary identical with cetana, "intention," and refers here to karmic volition.]
4. consciousness [12: "Consciousness" (viñña'na) refers to all types of consciousness, which is of six types: eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-, and mind-consciousness.]

I would eat you alive, son. - I know, Dad, and I bet you want to be eaten, too. - Hell no!

 
1. "How, O meditators, should the nutriment of edible food be understood and considered?

"Suppose a couple, a wife and husband, have set out on a journey through the desert, carrying only limited provisions.

"These parents have with them their only son, their dearly beloved child. Now, while the two travel through the desert, their limited stock of provisions runs out, comes to an end, yet there is still a stretch of desert to be crossed. The two think:

"'Our small stock of provisions has run out, come to an end, and there is still a stretch of desert to be crossed. Should we not slaughter our only son, our dearly beloved child, and prepare from his corpse both dried and roasted meat? By eating our own son's flesh, we might cross in that way the remaining part of the desert. Otherwise, all three of us might perish.'
 

Beloved baby steaks for drying and roasting

"And these two, husband and wife, kill their only son, their dearly beloved child, prepare dried and roasted meat. And eating their son's flesh, they cross in that way the remaining part of the desert.

"While eating their son's flesh, they beat their breasts crying: 'Where are you, our only son, our beloved child, where are you?'
 
"What do you think, O meditators? Will they eat that food for pleasure, for enjoyment, for the sake of becoming more beautiful, for (the body's) embellishment?"

• [13: The same phrases occur in the Buddhist monastic's reflection on alms food, e.g., at MN 2; explained in the Path of Purification or Visuddhimagga (trans. by Ven. Nanamoli, p. 31 ff.).]

"Certainly not, O venerable sir!"

"Will they not instead eat that food merely for the sake of crossing the desert?"
 
"Yes, just so, O venerable sir!"

"In the same way, I say, O meditators, should edible food be considered:

"O meditators, if the nutriment of edible food is comprehended, LUST for objects of the five senses is (thereby) comprehended. And if lust for objects of the five senses is comprehended, there is no bond fettered by which a noble [enlightened] disciple might come again to this world.

• [14: That is one has become a non-returner (anagami), the third of four stages of enlightenment, by eradicating the fetter of sense craving desire (kama-raga-samyojana) which, according to the Commentary forms a unit with those other fetters (samyojanas) that are abandoned (pahanekattha) at this stage, i.e., personality belief, skeptical doubt, attachment to rites and rituals, and ill-will.]

Can you make them stop eating me?

2. "And how, O meditators, should the nutriment of sense impression be  understood or considered? Suppose, O meditators, there is a skinned cow that stands close to a wall. The creatures living in the wall will nibble at the cow.

"If the skinned cow stands near a tree, the creatures living in the tree will nibble at it. If it stands in water, the creatures living in the water will nibble at it. If it stands in the open air, creatures living in the air will nibble at it. Wherever that skinned cow stands, the creatures living there will nibble at it.

"In that manner, I say, O meditators, should the nutriment of sense impression be considered. If the nutriment of sense impression is comprehended, the three kinds of feeling

• [15: pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feeling or sensation.]

are thereby comprehended. And if the three kinds of feeling are comprehended, there is, I say, no further work left to do for the noble disciple.

• [16: This refers to the attainment of arhatship or sainthood," full enlightenment, liberation from the Wheel of Life and Death (rebirth) and all suffering.]

Lady Gaga in her "meat dress," thinks Leo (Die Antwoord "Hey Fatty Boom Boom")

.

3. "And how, O meditators, should the nutriment of volitions be understood and considered? Suppose, O meditators, there is a pit of glowing embers, filled to cover a human's height, with embers glowing so brightly there are no flames or smoke.

"Now a person who loves life and wishes to live, who wishes for happiness and detests suffering, comes along. Then two strong men seize both of that person's arms and drag the person to that pit of glowing embers.

"Then, O meditators, far from it would that person's will recoil, far from it that person's longing, far from it that person's inclination. Why? It is, of course, because that person knows: 'If I fall into that pit of glowing embers, I'll meet death or deadly pain.'

"In that manner, I say, O meditators, should the nutriment of volitions be considered. If the nutriment of volitions is comprehended, the three kinds of craving

• [17: sensual craving, craving for (eternal) existence, and craving for self-annihilation.]

are thereby comprehended. And if the three kinds of craving are comprehended, there is, I say, no further work left to do for the noble disciple.

The life of a ruler is beset with bad karma.

4. "And how, O meditators, should the nutriment of consciousness be understood and considered?

"Suppose, O meditators, people have seized a criminal, a robber, and brought that person before the ruler saying: 'O majesty, this is a criminal, a robber! Mete out the punishment you think fit!'

"Then the ruler would tell them: 'Go, and in the morning strike this person with a hundred spears!' And they strike him in the morning with a hundred spears.

"At noon the ruler would ask them: 'How is that criminal?'

— 'That robber is still alive, your majesty.'

— 'Then go and strike that criminal again at noontime with a hundred spears!' So they do, and in the evening the ruler asks them again: 'How is that criminal?'

— 'That robber is still alive.' — 'Then go and in the evening strike that criminal again with a hundred spears!' And so they do.

"What do you think, O meditators? Will that criminal -- struck with three hundred spears during a day -- suffer pain and torment owing to that?"

"Even if that person were to be struck by only a single spear, that person would suffer pain and torment owing to that. How much more if struck by three hundred spears!"

"In that manner, I say, O meditators, should the nutriment of consciousness be considered.

"If the nutriment of consciousness is comprehended, mind-and-matter are thereby comprehended. And if mind and body are comprehended, there is, I say, no further work left to do for the noble disciple."

— SN 12.63