Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 79Not Chew Tooth-stick Towards Stupa

The Sutra on Not Chewing a Tooth-stick Toward a Stupa

Context

This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, a collection of rules concerning discipline and dignified conduct for those who have gone forth. In the Buddha's time, these rules were established to protect the purity of the Sangha and to train monks and nuns in reverence for sacred places.

A stupa (Stupa, also called Chedi) is a religious architectural structure used to worship the Buddha or bodhisattvas who have passed away. Stupas are built as material symbols of the Buddhadharma and as places of devotional practice for all Buddhist faithful. This sutra makes specific a rule concerning respectful conduct in these sacred spaces.

Main Content

This rule forbids monks and nuns from chewing or using a tooth-stick (danta-kaṭṭha, also called miswak) while facing toward a stupa. A tooth-stick is an important tool of personal hygiene in monastic life, usually made from twigs. However, chewing the stick and spitting toward a revered structure is considered discourteous, because it directs an impure act toward a symbol of the Dharma.

This regulation reflects a basic principle in the Vinaya Piṭaka: protecting the dignity of sacred spaces and training the minds of practitioners. It is not an absolute prohibition against using a tooth-stick, but an instruction on maintaining respect when near venerable places. Monks and nuns should find another place or turn their bodies so that this action is not directed toward the stupa.

The context is set in the early Sangha environment, where reverence for the Buddhadharma was expressed through even the smallest gestures. This rule illustrates how the Buddha and elder disciples provided detailed guidance to nourish a pure mind and prevent conduct that could harm others' faith in the Sangha.