Lzh Mi Bu Vb Pc 83Entering a Village at the Wrong Time
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vikālagāmappavisana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Text on Entering a Village at the Wrong Time
Vikālagāmappavisana Sutta
Background
The Vikālagāmappavisana text is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, in the Pātimokkha Saṃvarasikkhāpada, the training rules for protecting the spiritual mind. This Vinaya was established by the Buddha Gotama to regulate the actions of bhikkhus, ensuring that the life of practice would not be disturbed by trivial matters or a lack of scattered awareness.
This text arose from the practical needs of the Sangha community. When bhikkhus went on almsround or carried out daily activities, entering a village at inappropriate times could lead to troublesome situations: attracting unnecessary attention, improper attentiveness, or undeserved insults. Moreover, going about at the wrong time could cause loss of concentration, scattering mindfulness away from meditation and the principal practice of the path.
Main Content
The Vikālagāmappavisana text states that bhikkhus should not enter a village at inappropriate times. The times regarded as "wrong time" (vikāla) usually include late afternoon, night, or early morning before it is suitable. The reason is not only physical safety, but also the maintenance of alertness and inner discipline.
The minor rules (pācittiya) in this text are not disputes about offending or not offending, but subtle guidelines on how to nurture the spiritual mind. If a bhikkhu enters a village at the wrong time, especially without a necessary reason such as almsround or business of the Sangha, this is considered a violation of a training rule. The purpose is not punishment, but to help the practitioner understand the importance of following reasonable rules.
This regulation should be understood in the broader context of the Pātimokkha, the monastic code recited twice each month before the entire Sangha. Every rule has a deep reason, and Vikālagāmappavisana is no exception.
🌏 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.