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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
own self, to be within your own self. Not only food but all objects which are foreign to the self are to be discarded when one is performing ‘Upavāsa'.
( ii ) Unodari, i e, Eating less than one's fill. Here perfix 'Una' is suggestive of a 'want. The word 'Udara' means stomach. ‘Unodara' means a stomach which is not full. Normally the full quantity of food for ascetic is thirty-two morsels in the case of a monk and twenty-eight in the case of a nun. Any reduction in this quantity constitutes Ünodarī tapa. So even the one who remains a little hungry is supposed to perform an austerity.
(iii) Vịtti-sanksepa or Vğiti-parisankhyana - This type of penance is perceived for the limitations of our desire for enjoyment of different objects. Technically it means to limit the quantity of food and drink. A monk takes the vow that he will remain satisfied with the quantity of food or drink which he receives once or twice and will not try to get more. Psychologically there is no end to human desires. The ancient
as had a saying: "When Gods want to punish us, they grant us our desires.” Lord Buddha, however, put it pointedly, “We punish ourselves, just as we reward ourselves, by fruits of our desires." The more we desire the more we try to collect. Even if we can do comfortably well by having four suits we demp our wardrobe with twenty and the same is true about all our possessions and enjoyment of different types. This surely results in waste which, apart from being harmful to our morals, is harmful to the society also. Hence putting some sort of limitation to our desire for food and drink is necessary even if we can financially afford to do so.
(iv) Rasa-parityaga, i. e., Restrictions on taste for drinks and food. Rasa-parityāga is connected with food. The Monk should renounce one or more of the six objects of taste, viz., milk, curd, ghee, oil, sugar and salt and also one or more of the following types of tastes : acrid, bitter, astringent, sour and sweet. The purpose of this tapa is emasculation of the senses subduing sleep and unobstructed pursuance of study.
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