Lzh Mu Bi Pm Sk 36Na gulphe gulpham niṣatsyāma
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na gulphe gulpham niṣatsyāma
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Vinaya Sutta on Not Sitting on the Edge of a Pond
Background
This text is recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pāli Canon, an indispensable part of the traditional Theravāda Buddhist Tipiṭaka. The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of rules, methods of practice, and actual events in the lives of the Buddha and his disciples, recorded to protect the supreme Dharma and maintain harmony in the monastic community.
This text concerns a specific event in the life of the Sangha, when certain monks did not observe rules of conduct in daily activities, especially actions that appear outwardly minor but affect the attitude of practice and respect for the shared environment. The context in which this rule arose reflects the Buddha’s attention to every detail of monastic life — not out of excessive strictness, but because every action reflects one’s mind and purpose in practice.
Main Content
The rule “Na gulphe gulpham niṣatsyāma” (One should not sit on the edge of a pond) is one of the prohibitions in the Tibetan law concerning conduct in daily life. This forbids bhikkhu monks from sitting on the edge of a pond, lake, or related body of water without permission or a specific purpose.
The reasons for this rule are very practical. First, sitting on the edge of a pond is personally dangerous — a practitioner may slip and fall into the water, affecting health and the ability to practice. Second, this action may disturb aquatic beings (fish, frogs, fresh shrimp...), violating the principle of compassion — avoiding harm to any living being. Third, practicing monks should not act carelessly or below proper standards before the public, because this affects the faith (saddhā) of the Buddhist community.
This rule is a concrete expression of the principle of Sīla (virtue) — one of the three basic protectors of the Dharma (morality, concentration, wisdom) in Buddhism. It is not only about avoiding major bad actions, but also about vigilance toward small actions unworthy of the nature of a practitioner.
🌏 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.