Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 20Lowered Eyes

The Okkhittacakkhu Sutta (Lowered Eyes)

Background

The Okkhittacakkhu Sutta appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha, the set of training rules for bhikkhus. These are the rules of practice that the Buddha established to help bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs maintain composure and purity in the life of practice, thereby supporting the process of training toward liberation.

The title “Okkhittacakkhu” is translated as “Lowered Eyes” or “Eyes Cast Down,” referring to a basic conduct in Buddhist discipline: the use of the sense faculties, especially sight. In the Vinaya context, this text usually concerns specific instructions on how bhikkhus should manage their eyes and attention when walking, acting, or communicating with others, especially women.

Main Content

In the Theravāda tradition, the text teaches that bhikkhus should lower their eyes when walking or coming into contact with girls and women. This is not a standard act of reverence, but a method of practice to guard the senses and prevent sensual desire from arising.

The concept of “indriyasamvara” (restraint of the sense faculties) is foundational to proper practice according to the Buddha Dharma. The eye is one of the five principal sense faculties, and it has great power to stimulate unwholesome desire. When sight is uncontrolled, the mind is easily drawn toward limited forms of beauty, producing craving and attachment (taṇhā). Therefore, lowering the eyes and reducing the field of vision is a practical method of cutting off this stimulation at the root.

The text emphasizes that those who practice sense restraint carefully will find peace and progress in practice. This accords with the Pātimokkha, where the Buddha teaches that sense restraint is a prerequisite for serenity (samādhi).

Practical Meaning

The teaching on lowering the eyes has deep meaning beyond the physical action.