Soon afterwards, after robing up in the morning, the Buddha took his bowl and robe and went to a certain family with Venerable Ānanda as his attendant. He sat down on the prepared seat, and the people there gave cooked food. Being afraid of wrongdoing, Ānanda did not accept it. The Buddha said, “Accept it, Ānanda.” “I can’t, sir, I’m expecting another meal.” “Well then, Ānanda, assign that meal to someone else and then receive this.” Soon afterwards the Buddha gave a teaching and addressed the monks: “Monks, I allow you to eat a meal before another if you assign the other meal to someone else. And, monks, this is how it should be assigned: ‘I give my expected meal to so-and-so.’”

Definitions Eats a meal before another: if he has been invited to eat any of the five cooked foods, and he then eats any of the five cooked foods elsewhere—this is called “eats a meal before another”. Except on an appropriate occasion: unless it is an appropriate occasion. He is sick: if he is not able to eat as much as he needs in one sitting, he may eat a meal before another. It is the robe-giving season: if he has not participated in the robe-making ceremony, he may eat a meal before another during the last month of the rainy season. If he has participated in the robe-making ceremony, he may eat a meal before another during the five month period. It is a time of making robes: when he is making robes, he may eat a meal before another.