Lzh Mi Bu Vb Pc 54Tickling
Pāli / Sanskrit:Aṅgulipatodaka
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Aṅgulipatodaka Discourse (Discourse on Stirring Water with a Finger)
Background
The Aṅgulipatodaka Discourse is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Pātimokkha Saṁvaravibhaṅga, the detailed rules of training for monks and nuns. The Vinaya Piṭaka is regarded as a foundation of the whole teaching, because it regulates the ethical and disciplined way of life of the Sangha community.
This background arose from some event during the Buddha’s lifetime, when bhikkhus or bhikkhunis engaged in conduct that violated the rules, and the Buddha therefore established a prohibition to protect the purity of the Sangha. This discourse is not a sermon text (Sutta) like the Dhammapadavibhaṅga or the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, but belongs to the Vinaya, the law of religious practice; therefore its value lies in legal regulation and practical guidance rather than transcendent theory.
Main Content
The word Aṅgulipatodaka derives from aṅguli (finger) and patodaka (stirring water), indicating the act of stirring water with a finger, a small act that is nevertheless prohibited by the text in the context of training. Although the specific content of this discourse has not been fully translated, the general principle of the Vinaya Piṭaka shows that such prohibitions are often related to the use of water, food, or undignified actions unworthy of a monastic seeking nirvana.
Stirring water with a finger may be considered an undignified act, unsuitable for the discipline of monks and nuns, including the way common monastery property is used and respect for the requisites necessary for practice. Or it may refer to an unmindful act toward resources, which Buddhism regards as a violation of deep contemplation of dependent conditions.
The prohibitions in the Vinaya Piṭaka are usually divided into several levels of severity: from Pārājika, offenses requiring giving up the going-forth, to Saṅghādisesa, requiring declaration to the Sangha, and to Pācittiya and Pāṭidesanīya, lighter offenses.
🌏 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.