Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 14Swaying
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kāyappacālaka
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
KĀYAPPACĀLAKA SUTTA — THE RULE ON SWAYING THE BODY
Background
The Kāyappacālaka Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, where the rules of training and discipline for the Sangha are recorded in detail. This text was compiled to safeguard the purity of the practice, establishing standards of conduct to preserve the sacred character of the Buddha-Dharma within the monastic community.
The title "Kāyappacālaka" means "the swaying or movement of the body" (kāya = body; pacālaka = shaking, movement). This is a subtle subject concerning the bearing, bodily posture, and actions of monks and bhikkhus in daily life. The context in which the Buddha gave these instructions reflects careful concern for every detail of training, from the smallest movements to expressions of mental intention and mindfulness.
Main Content
The rule on "swaying the body" is distinct from major offenses or simple defilements. It points to gestures, unconscious habits, or semi-conscious patterns in the actions of a practitioner. When monastics have renounced worldly life to pursue the Path, every step, every movement of the hand, every glance carries the meaning of practice and reveals the state of mind.
This sutta emphasizes that such "shaking" or "swaying" in bodily conduct is not merely a matter of elegance or precision, but reflects the depth of Dharma practice. A monk should walk, stand, sit, and lie down with mindfulness, steadiness, and balance. Actions that are not restless, that do not reveal a wavering mind, and that are neither ostentatious nor careless are characteristics of one who practices compassion and wisdom.
Kāyappacālaka is directly related to samādhi and sati. When the body does not sway or move about restlessly, the mind can become stable. This is a progression from outward cultivated conduct to the profundity of inner practice.
Practical Meaning
For contemporary practitioners, the teaching on swaying the body opens a new vision of discipline.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.