Ka Bu Pm Sk 56Licking the Hands

Explanation of the Hatthanillehaka Sutta (Licking the Hands)

Background

The Hatthanillehaka Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition, the Pāli Canon, an essential part of the Buddhist Tripiṭaka. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a collection of dry prohibitions, but an expression of the Buddha’s wisdom in guiding the community of monks and nuns in practice. This discourse is found in Ka Bu Pm Sk 56 (Khuddakavatthu Pañcaka Mūlasikkhāpada), the basic regulations connected with the daily conduct of bhikkhus.

The background of this discourse arose from specific situations in the life of practice in monasteries. The discourse concerns actions that harm the body or forms of behavior unsuitable to the spirit of practice in the Sangha. The Buddha, with deep understanding of human psychology, established rules to protect the integrity (sīla) of bhikkhus.

Main Content

Hatthanillehaka, the Pāli word “hatthanilleha,” means “licking the hands,” and refers to a behavior that seems harmless but in fact reflects lack of care and self-mastery in practice. This discourse forbids bhikkhus from licking the hands or parts of their bodies in ways that may be regarded as undignified or disrespectful toward the method of practice.

However, what is more important is understanding the deeper meaning behind this rule. The act of licking the hands is not only a matter of hygiene or outward form. It represents lack of reflection, lack of mindfulness (sati) in the small actions of daily life. A bhikkhu who truly practices will always maintain clear mindfulness in every action, however small.

The discourse teaches that these actions, though outwardly they may seem unrelated to the Buddha-Dharma, nevertheless reflect a state of lost concentration (asamādhia), a lack of focus and initiative of mind. When the mind is not controlled in small matters, how can it be trusted to be controlled in greater practices?