Lzh Mi Bu Vb Sk 1–100Rules for Training

Explanation of the Sekhiya Discourse (Rules of Training)

Background

Sekhiya (Pali: sekhiya, meaning “rules of training” or “rules for learners”) is an important part of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This set of rules is found in the Pātimokkha, that is, the basic disciplinary rules that bhikkhus and bhikkhunis must observe.

Unlike heavier rules, such as those concerning acts that lead to expulsion from the Sangha, the Sekhiya rules focus on more refined forms of training. These rules were established by the Buddha to educate those who have gone forth, helping them develop virtuous conduct, mindfulness, and self-control in every daily action.

Main Content

The Sekhiya rules include about one hundred rules addressing details in eating, dressing, speaking, and ordinary daily activities. These rules are not absolute prohibitions, but guidelines on forms of conduct to be avoided in order to maintain dignity and self-discipline.

The regulated areas include conduct at meals, such as not chewing loudly and not swallowing hastily; forms of dressing and management of possessions; ways of moving and walking, such as not running about carelessly and not intruding on others’ space; proper modes of speech, such as not speaking loudly and not engaging in unnecessary talk; and ways of behaving toward fellow practitioners, such as not sitting slovenly, not lying in a contorted way, and not raising one’s feet up.

The purpose of these rules is not to exercise excessive control, but to nurture self-awareness (sati) and discipline in each moment. The Buddha emphasized that these small actions, when practiced consciously, lead to the refinement of body and mind, thereby creating favorable conditions for the process of practice.

Practical Meaning

For the practitioner, Sekhiya represents the deep understanding that the Path does not exist only in the mind, but is expressed through every action, every word, and every way of moving.