Lzh Mi Bu Pm Sk 63Poking Tongue

Exposition of the Jivhānicchāraka Sutta (The Poking Out the Tongue Sutta)

Background

The Jivhānicchāraka Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Pātimokkha section, a collection of rules of practice for the Sangha. In the Theravada tradition, the Vinaya Pitaka is the ethical foundation supporting all practice. This text records a specific offense related to sticking out the tongue (jivhā = tongue; nicchāraka = putting out), a seemingly small detail that nonetheless carries deep ethical significance.

This event occurred in the early bhikkhu community while the Buddha was still alive. A bhikkhu, perhaps because of temperament or carelessness, stuck out his tongue in inappropriate situations. This action, though unintentional, was recognized by the Buddha as a breach of virtuous conduct (śīla), because it expressed a lack of mindfulness and respect in each moment of action. The Buddha therefore determined that this behavior needed instruction and correction.

Main Content

The Jivhānicchāraka Sutta is a record of a pācittiya rule, a kind of offense lighter than pārājika but still requiring confession and correction. The act of sticking out the tongue is considered undignified and unsuitable to the image of a renunciant seeking liberation.

In the monastic context, every bodily gesture of a bhikkhu has symbolic significance. Sticking out the tongue can be understood in many ways: it is an action that is careless, undisciplined with respect to one’s own body, or in certain cases may be regarded as disturbing to others, diminishing the dignity that a renunciant should maintain.

This rule emphasizes that practice does not stop with great matters, but includes even the smallest details of daily life. Every action, from the way one speaks and moves to the way one governs the body, is an occasion to practice mindfulness (sati) and right intention (sammā-saṅkappa).

Practical Meaning

The purpose of the text is not to punish, but to instruct.