Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 50In Water

EXPLANATION OF THE UDAKEUCCĀRA SUTTA (IN WATER)

Background

The Udakeuccāra Sutta is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection that sets out the rules of practice for monks and nuns (bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs) living in the Sangha. This sutta belongs to the Pātimokkha Saṃvara, the basic practices of discipline, where the Buddha teaches about inappropriate conduct related to excretion in water.

The text reflects the practical circumstances of the early Sangha, when monastics lived near streams, ponds, and bodies of water and had daily needs. The Buddha, with unsurpassed wisdom, established rules appropriate to nature, public hygiene, and the spirit of compassion, in order to protect both the monastic community and the surrounding environment.

Main Content

The Udakeuccāra Sutta teaches a rule that one should not excrete into water (udake uccāra, from "udaka," water, and "uccāra," bodily excretion). According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, monastics are forbidden to use water into which they or others have excreted, or to excrete directly into a water source used by the community.

This rule arose from a historical event: monks polluted shared water sources, causing inconvenience to local people and diminishing the respect accorded to the Sangha. Seeing this, the Buddha promulgated a Dharma rule to prevent inappropriate conduct.

The sutta states that monastics must use clean water and, when excreting, must do so far from public water sources. Those who violate the rule must practice confession and have the opportunity to restore their integrity.

Practical Meaning

The Udakeuccāra Sutta is not merely a rule of hygiene, but reflects three core principles of the Buddhist Vinaya Piṭaka: restraint of the body, respect for the community, and protection of the Sangha's honor in the eyes of society.

First, this rule teaches monastics to have mindful awareness of their actions, even very elementary and simple matters.