Lzh Mi Bi Vb Sk 76Washing Water With Rice
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sasitthaka
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The Sutra on Washing Water Containing Grain (Sasitthaka)
Background
The Sasitthaka sutra belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka in the Pali Canon of the Theravada tradition, recorded among the delicate rules (Pātimokkha) of the monastic community. This sutra arose from a specific situation in the life of practice in the monasteries during the time of the Western Buddha. It concerns the question of how to handle water used for washing the hands and feet when that water contains grains of rice or remnants of food.
The Vinaya Pitaka is not merely a set of dry prohibitions, but a body of learning about communal life, reflecting the Buddha's wisdom in establishing a foundation for the monastic community to practice in purity and harmony. Each rule has an origin story (nidāna) explaining the reason the Buddha set it forth, helping disciples understand that they should not obey mechanically, but practice with a clear mind.
Main Content
The Sasitthaka sutra revolves around the question of special handling for washing water that contains food, especially water containing grain (sasi, a Pali word meaning wheat or cereal). In the Theravada tradition, there is a clear distinction between clean and unclean materials, between things that may be reused and things that must be discarded.
According to the Vinaya Pitaka, ordinary water used for washing the hands and feet is regarded as clean water that may be reused, but water containing particles of food such as grain, rice, or other food remnants is handled differently. The Buddha instructed that this kind of water should not be kept for reuse, but should be drained away from the monastery or poured out in a place where there are no living beings.
This regulation reflects the principle of not harming small living beings (anukampā), one of the concrete expressions of the Fifth Precept (Pañcasīla) concerning abstention from killing. Water containing food can create conditions for microorganisms to develop; therefore, disposing of it properly is a way of expressing compassion toward all sentient beings.
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