Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 162Getting Trainees to Massage
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sikkhamānā-ummaddāpana
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THE SUTTA ON ASKING FEMALE TRAINEES TO GIVE MASSAGE
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha’s Dharma, the regulations concerning the communal life of monks and nuns relate not only to actions but also to the purpose of practice. The sutta Sikkhamānā-ummaddāpana (asking female trainees to give massage) is part of the Pāli Pāṭimokkha, the basic principles for maintaining collective discipline.
A female trainee (sikkhamānā) is a woman in training with eight or ten precepts, an intermediate stage between lay life and full going forth. This sutta concerns daily activities connected with bodily care, permitted within the framework of clean and independent practice.
The background for the composition of this sutta comes from the practical needs of the women’s monastic community. The Buddha saw the need for clear guidance regarding health care, especially massage (ummaddana), a form of bodily care regarded as suitable for the life of practice when performed with the right intention and method.
Main Content
This regulation revolves around whether female trainees may be assigned the task of massaging other female monastics, but they must follow certain principles. Massage in this context is not a luxury service, but part of basic medical care, helping relieve pain and restore energy for those wearied by ascetic practice.
The sutta clearly states that assigning massage to female trainees must be done with a pure intention (kusala-cetana), not to satisfy desire or create excitement, but to care for the health of the community. The female trainee must give clear consent and understand that this is part of communal responsibility.
Moreover, this sutta emphasizes that those who perform massage must keep their minds pure and should not be drawn into distorted feelings or thoughts. This is one of the first challenges of practice: how to maintain a peaceful mind (sukha) without falling into sensual desire.
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