[Buddha-l] Non attached & mindful culinary triumphalism?

[JKirkpatrick]

Comment on part of this helpful contribution:

Just what occurred to me as well:  these descriptions do sound
like reactions to beggars no doubt haunting the alms rounds. My
surmise would be that, rather than hoping for donations from the
monks, beggars would use the situation to extract donations from
the householders. 
When I was in Luang Prabang (Laos), during the alms round an
obviously very poor woman (skinny, ill-dressed) was squatting on
the pavement next to a toddler, holding open a plastic bag,
obviously seeking donations. She was sitting right down with the
alms donors who were on their knees on the pavement. Someone (a
foreigner like me) muttered, "the monks aren't supposed to offer
the alms they gather," but I saw one drop something in her bag.
In this instance, the almsrounders were sramanas, led by a senior
monk. They were all young boys.  I don't know if the comment
about monks sharing alms being impermissible 
is factual. Must be a vinaya rule on it. 

Joanna
---------------------

Dan wrote:
[........] Wouldn't be able to 'hear' the dhamma, which in the
preliterate period would have been crucial), but "deformed, lame
or cripple" *could* be disqualifying, depending on the nature of
the deformities, etc. Lack of food, drink, etc. would be largely
irrelevant.

What this sounds like -- and thus probably reflects the authorial
experiences, as you suggest -- is "beggars", suggesting that the
extent of the exposure by the composers of this pericope to these
downtrodden people would be the beggars who cross their path.
Since sramanas were also beggars of a sort, at least early on,
and probably also raggedy looking (lots of stories of monks
sowing up their raggedy robes, cautions against accepting
clothing that is too fancy or expensive, etc.), one would not
imagine the early Buddhist community complaining about fellow
beggars in that manner, unless the competition for food became
intense.