Lzh Mg Bu Pm Sk 29Overlarge Mouthful
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nātimahanta
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sutta Nātimahanta — On the Overlarge Mouthful
Background
The Nātimahanta Sutta (nātimahanta = "not too large") belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Theravāda tradition, situated specifically among the regulations governing the discipline of monks and nuns in the Buddhist community. It is a detailed code of rules intended to guide the monastic Sangha in living according to the Dharma and maintaining harmony within the community.
The context from which this sutta arose relates to situations within the collective practice life at monasteries during the time the Buddha was still present in the world. The Buddha set forth specific regulations to govern the conduct, speech, and attitudes of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, with the aim of protecting the dignity of the monastic community and contributing to the spiritual development of each individual.
Main Content
The Nātimahanta Sutta concerns teachings on the need to restrain the mouth and speech. The term "overlarge mouthful" here carries a symbolic meaning, referring to those who speak excessively, who do not know how to govern their words, or who speak without careful consideration. This is counted among the disciplinary infractions that Buddhism regards as requiring correction.
In the spirit of the Vinaya Piṭaka, those engaged in practice should cultivate silence and mindfulness in every word. Speech left ungoverned can lead to harmful consequences: generating disputes within the Sangha, wounding the hearts of others, or giving rise to unnecessary errors. For this reason, guarding the mouth and speech is regarded as an important element of ethical cultivation (Sīla).
This sutta reminds us that those who have gone forth into homelessness have vowed to uphold principles more stringent than those of lay persons. They must know when to speak and when to remain silent, and when they do speak, they must speak words that are beneficial, constructive, and in accord with the Dharma.
Practical Significance
From the perspective of practice, this sutta teaches that the restraint of speech is the foundation of moral cultivation. According to the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, those who have gone forth must develop the highest degree of mindfulness with respect to every word they utter.
🌏 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.