Vinaya: What can be eaten after noon?

I’m looking for the section of the Vinaya that describes what can be eaten/consumed after noon (for purposes of observing Uposatha day). From what I recall, there’s some mention that certain fruits may be eaten after noon.

Perhaps you’ll find what you’re looking for here: Pācittiya Four: The Food Chapter | The Buddhist Monastic Code, Volumes I & II

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That is indeed one of the best resources out there. But, and it’s a big but, you have to be super careful to know what is actually in the original texts and what is

  • ancient commentary
  • Thai commentary
  • Thai culture
  • the author’s opinions

The author tries to make it clear what is what, but it’s very easy to get confused. So just beware. Follow the citations he has at the end of the chapters to get to the actual Vinaya root text.

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Indeed. I had seen and skimmed this resource before but found it too tedious to read and try to come to any definitive conclusion about what, if anything, can be consumed after noon, according to the Vinaya.

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What I’d like to and plan to consume after noon for a quasi uposatha is raw fruit, lettuce, honey, lemon juice and or maple syrup. If anyone sees any glaring offenses with that, please let me know.

Those are normally not allowed for a full no eating after noon precept. I am not sure about maple syrup. The other 2 are ok, lemon juice, for monks it’s as long as the lemon is made into juice before noon.

Anyway, depends on your ultimate motivation. If you’re not aiming for monkhood, you can adapt whatever rules you like, modify and practice however you like.

If you’re aiming for monkhood, you can still do the above, just have mental preparation that it’s going to be a bit of adjustment period after living in a monastery. If you’re aiming for monkhood and is doing this to adapt yourself, then it make sense to ask for details. You can even do a full no eating afternoon rule all the time as a lay person, not just during uposatha.

For Uposatha, sorry, I didn’t observe those as a lay person, so my standards are low for them.

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