Lzh Mg Bi Pm Ss 9Ekanaditara
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ekanaditara
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Ekanaditara Sutta: A Discourse on Singularity and Continuity
Background
The Ekanaditara Sutta (eka = one, anādi = without beginning, tara = crossing over) is a part of the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The content of this sutta pertains to rules of practice and principles of communal living within the Sangha, particularly those relating to eating, conduct, and disciplined cultivation.
The Vinaya Piṭaka is regarded as the foundation of Buddhist monastic law, recording the decisions of the Buddha and the Sangha throughout more than forty years of teaching the Dharma. The rules of the Vinaya were set down to protect the nobility of the Sangha, to maintain harmony, and to support the spiritual development of all who follow the Path.
Principal Content
The Ekanaditara Sutta focuses on unity and continuity in practice—specifically, how monks and nuns maintain consistency in their actions, speech, and thought. The sutta teaches that one who practices the Buddha-Dharma must maintain the original mind, undisturbed by external changes.
In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, "singularity" (eka) does not refer to solitude, but to concentration upon a single aim—liberation from suffering. "Without beginning" (anādi) indicates that this aim was not created today, but is an eternal truth—the nature of all phenomena (anicca, dukkha, anattā). What is essential is continuity (tara) in the effort of practice, not allowing the mind to waver or go astray.
The sutta further emphasizes that within the monastic community, each individual must hold firmly to their own mind, not allowing themselves to be influenced by diversions and aimless wandering. Eating, resting, reciting the suttas, and practicing meditation must all be carried out in a unified manner, without distinction. This is the means of maintaining the purity of virtue (sīla) and the composure of mind (samādhi) necessary for the development of insight wisdom (paññā).
Practical Significance
For the modern practitioner, the Ekanaditara Sutta imparts a most precious teaching: hold firmly to the unified mind, and do not allow oneself to be swept away by the fluctuations of the world.
🌏 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.