“Ethical Eating” and Sense Restraint

As human beings we have no choice but to engage with the four basic requisites of life: food, clothing, shelter, and medicine.

If one looks at the monks’ training one sees that it begins with an awareness of how to properly use the four requisites, which is considered an aspect of moral conduct (sīla). It may not have occurred to some people that knowing how to eat or consume is a part of morality.

This so-called ‘ethical eating’ refers to eating with a due consideration of the true objectives of eating. Put simply, it is wise eating–or wise consumption–which implies a balanced and optimum form of eating. Technically speaking, this is called bhojane-mattaññutā: ‘moderation in eating.’

A related matter that the Buddha gave great emphasis to is sense restraint (indriya-saṁvara), i.e. knowing how to use the sense bases–the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind–with mindful awareness. This too is classified as an initial stage of spiritual training and as a basic form of moral conduct, even more fundamental than observing the five precepts.

When thinking of moral conduct for laypeople, it is common to only consider the five precepts. Yet the Buddha gave great import to these two basic forms of moral conduct: moderation in eating and sense restraint.

This reflection by Venerable P.A. Payutto (Somdet Phra Buddhakosajarn) is an excerpt from the book True Education Begins with Wise Consumption, (pdf) p. 1, translated from the Thai by Robin Moore.