Essay name: Ahara as depicted in the Pancanikaya
Author:
Le Chanh
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages
This critical study of Ahara (鈥渇ood鈥�) explores its significance in Buddhism, encompassing both physical and mental nourishment. The Panca Nikaya, part of the Sutta Pitaka, highlights how all human problems, including suffering and happiness, are connected to Ahara. Understanding this concept is crucial for comprehending and alleviating suffering, aiming for a balanced, enlightened life.
Chapter 5 - Buddhist view on man and his Aharas
15 (of 45)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
199 5
.2.
膧h膩ras of man and the problems of health, disease,
beauty and hunger
5.2.1. 膧h膩ras of man
The P膩li of the D墨gha Nik膩ya鲁7 has a story that might be termed
"Genesis According to Buddhism." According to this story, there comes a
time, sooner or later, after the lapse of a long period, when this world
passes away, beings (sattva) have mostly been reborn in the world of
radiance (膧bhassara Brahm膩 world.) There they dwell, made of mind,
feeding on joy, self-luminous, traversing the air, glory. When this world
began to expand again, beings who had deceased from the world of
radiance were mostly reborn in this world (come to life as humans.) Here
they remain for a long time made of mind, feeding on joy, self-luminous,
moving through the sky and staying in glory.
The story showed out beings at that time fed on joy or nourished by
joy or delight therefore joy is understood as 膩h膩ra for them to sustain
their lives. This means that a human food at the time of a new evolution
of the world is very subtle or fine; hence, their deeds are wholesome and
noble. Then the sweet taste of earth, of fungus, of creeper, and of rice
attracted them and made desire for things arise and grow up in them.
Their bodies, which could not move through the air and be self-luminous
as before, become roughness. After that, sex organs appeared together
with desire for sexuality. From this story, the various versions agree that
by eating foods of increasing coarseness, the bodies of these beings
became more and more coarse, and these beings lost their original
368 attributes, and thus, evil things and unwholesome actions arose.
367 368
D. III, Agga帽帽a sutta.
Alex Wayman, Untying The Knots In Buddhism, Buddhist tradition series, Vol. 28, Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass Publishers, 1997, p. 336.
