[Jittananto]

I came across a very interesting story from the Theragatha (Verses of the Venerable Arahants). In this story, Venerable Maha Kassapa received his alms from a leper. While the leper was giving alms, his finger fell into Venerable Maha Kassapa’s alms bowl. The venerable monk was not disgusted and ate the food from the bowl. Of course, he most likely removed the finger from the bowl since it is not proper to ingest human flesh.

Mahākassapatthera gāthā

“I came down from my lodging   Senāsanamhā oruyha,

and entered the city for alms.       nagaraṁ piṇḍāya pāvisiṁ;

I courteously stood by                     Bhuñjantaṁ purisaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ,

while a leper ate.                               sakkaccaṁ taṁ upaṭṭhahiṁ.

With his putrid hand                       So me pakkena hatthena, 

he offered me a morsel.                   ālopaṁ upanāmayi;

Putting the morsel in my bowl,     Ālopaṁ pakkhipantassa,

his finger dropped off right there.  aṅguli cettha chijjatha. 

Sitting by a wall,                             Kuṭṭamūlañca nissāya, 

I ate that lump of rice.                 ālopaṁ taṁ abhuñjisaṁ;

I did not feel any disgust              Bhuñjamāne vā bhutte vā,

while eating or afterwards.         jegucchaṁ me na vijjati.

Arahants maintain Uppekha (equanimity) no matter the situation. They can recognize something that is disgusting, but they understand that it is simply a configuration of the four elements (Apo, Tejo, Vayo, and Pathavi) and a manifestation of distorted perception (sanna). They know that it is not appropriate for the human body to associate with rot for health reasons. Arahants do not show disgust through their facial expressions or gestures; instead, they accept whatever comes to them with equanimity. 

There is another story where the Buddha ate horse food without complaint!

Bu-Pj.1.2.1 MS.19 At that time Verañjā[56] was short of food[57] and stricken by hunger, with crops blighted and turned to straw. It was not easy to keep oneself going[58] by collecting alms. Just then some horse-dealers from Uttarāpathaka[59] entered BD.1.12 the rains residence at Verañjā with five hundred horses. In the horse-pen[60] they prepared pattha measure after pattha measure of steamed grain [61] for the monks. The monks, having dressed in the morning, took their bowls and robes and entered Verañjā for alms. Being unable to obtain anything, they went to the horse-pen. Having brought the pattha measures of steamed grain back to the monastery, they pounded them and ate them. Venerable Ānanda, having crushed a pattha measure of the steamed grain on a stone, took it to the Master, and the Master ate it.

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Yash RS, cat

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