[Buddha-l] Dharmapala

[Dan Lusthaus]

Lance,

> No. They give the food to Saccaka.

It is not clear to me (perhaps I am not reading it well enough) that ALL the 
food comes from the Licchavis. At the conclusion of his debate with Buddha, 
he invites the Buddha and the sangha to a meal the next day. After leaving 
he then asks the Licchavis to donate food, which they do: five hundred bowls 
of rice-milk. Sacchaka spends the entire night preparing the meal, and, I 
think, adding food of his own to banquet (that's what's unclear). Then, in 
the final denoument, Buddha explains how the merit gets apportioned, so that 
everyone gets some merit. The food given directly to the Buddha himself 
affords merit to Saccaka, the rest (i.e., to the food given to the rest of 
the Sangha, unless to arhats as pure, etc. as Buddha) gives merit to the 
giver of the food.


> Note too that he always addresses the Buddha as bho Gotama i.e. as an 
> equal.

Good point.

Dan