Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 48Washing Water With Rice
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sasitthaka
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Sasitthaka Sutta — Rice-Washing Water
Background
The Sasitthaka Sutta (Rice-Washing Water) is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition and is recorded in the Pāli Canon. In the context of the Vinaya, this sutta concerns rules about hygiene, standards of cleanliness, and the handling of materials used in the daily life of the monastic community.
The Vinaya Piṭaka not only sets forth formal precepts but also provides detailed guidance on ethical action, dwelling, personal and communal hygiene, and life in the community. These rules arose from specific situations encountered by the Buddha and his disciples, after which the Buddha, with wisdom, established principles to guide actions in accordance with the Dharma.
The matter of rice-washing water, water containing rice flour or grains of rice, is a common detail in monastic life. This is a typical example of how Theravāda Buddhism is concerned with every aspect of communal living, teaching monastics how to handle things reasonably, without waste, and with respect for shared conditions of life.
Main Content
The Sasitthaka Sutta concerns the rule on handling rice-washing water in the monastery. In the Vinaya Piṭaka, these matters are mentioned to guide the community of monks and nuns in hygiene, reasonable reuse of resources, and maintaining clean living conditions.
Rice-washing water is often regarded as "ordinary water," clean in a hygienic sense but not pure water for other religious purposes. The rules surrounding this matter aim at: (1) not wasting food; (2) maintaining common hygiene in the monastery; (3) clearly distinguishing different kinds of water and materials according to their purposes.
Although the specific content of this sutta has not yet been fully translated in widely available collections, based on the Vinaya Piṭaka context, it may be understood that the Buddha taught his disciples how to handle such matters practically and skillfully, without causing affliction and with respect for resources. This is an expression of wisdom (paññā) in daily life.
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