26. Discussion of the four great standards At that time the monks were anxious about all sorts of matters, thinking, “What has the Buddha allowed and what hasn’t he allowed?” They told the Buddha. “If I haven’t specifically prohibited something, then it’s unallowable to you if it’s similar to what’s unallowable and opposed to what’s allowable. If I haven’t specifically prohibited something, then it’s allowable to you if it’s similar to what’s allowable and opposed to what’s unallowable. If I haven’t specifically allowed something, then it’s unallowable to you if it’s similar to what’s unallowable and opposed to what’s allowable. If I haven’t specifically allowed something, then it’s allowable to you if it’s similar to what’s allowable and opposed to what’s unallowable.” Then the monks thought, “Are post-midday tonics mixed with ordinary food allowable or unallowable?