Lzh Mu Bi Pm Sk 4Na hastiśuṇḍaṁ
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na hastiśuṇḍaṁ
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Na hastiśuṇḍaṁ Sutra - On the Elephant and the Ordinary Covering
Background
The Na hastiśuṇḍaṁ Sutra (“Not an elephant’s trunk”) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhist tradition and is often cited among the regulations concerning virtue and Sangha discipline. The context of this sutra concerns Śākyamuni Buddha’s teaching to his disciples on restraint, purity, and matters that should not be done in the life of practice.
Historically, as Buddhism developed in ancient India, communities of bhikkhus needed concrete guidance in order to maintain cleanliness, propriety, and mutual respect. This sutra reflects practical regulations not only concerning conduct but also concerning care for the body and the shared living environment.
Main Content
This sutra teaches that bhikkhu disciples should not do such things as discarding an elephant’s trunk (hastiśuṇḍa) or other animal parts, nor should they perform coarse or unwholesome actions connected with the body. The purpose of this prohibition is to protect the purity (sīla) of one who has gone forth.
In the spirit of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, each prohibition is not merely a mechanical rule, but also reflects deep ethical principles. Restraint from actions connected with the body or with unclean things is not due to fear of material things, but because one wishes to preserve the mind in a pure state, not drawn along by low desires.
The sutra teaches that a practitioner should have high awareness of what one does, of every action and every thought. This restraint is part of the practice of the basic Five Precepts (pañcasīla), which every Buddhist should follow, and for bhikkhus, of the practice of the Eight Precepts or the full body of rules for the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
Although this sutra refers to specific details of ancient monastic life, its deeper meaning still applies to modern practitioners.
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