Lzh Dg Bi Vb Sk 20Lowered Eyes

Sutta on Lowered Eyes (Okkhittacakkhu)

Background

The Sutta on Lowered Eyes belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (Explanation of the Rules for Nuns). This is part of the Vinaya system, the rules of practice intended to protect the integrity of the Sangha and support the common awakening of the community.

This sutta was transmitted through communal recitations of the whole Sangha, where the Buddha and his disciples discussed conduct and attitudes appropriate to the monastic life. The sutta focuses on guarding the sense faculties, especially sight (cakkhu), as a foundation for wakefulness and inner discipline.

Main Content

“Lowered eyes” (okkhittacakkhu) refers to a basic practice in the Vinaya: regulating one’s gaze by lowering the eyes and not allowing them to wander or pursue sensual objects and phenomena unrelated to practice. This is not a blind way of life or an estrangement from the world, but a deliberate method of training to control the faculties (indriya).

According to the Pāli Canon, the Buddha taught that guarding the faculties is very important. When the eye sees an object, if one lacks attentiveness and steadiness, feelings of greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha) may arise. Thus, by voluntarily keeping the eyes lowered, the practitioner creates a protective barrier for the mind. The Vitakkasaṇṭhāna Sutta and other discourses in the Minor Collection also emphasize this.

Nuns (bhikkhunīs) are encouraged to practice in this way not only to avoid lapses in moral character, but also to establish an image of dignity (appasaddatā) and clear awareness (sampajañña). A practitioner with lowered eyes is often seen as one whose mind is wholly focused on practice and not led astray by external stimuli.

Practical Meaning

Guarding the eyes by lowering them is not merely an external rule of conduct.