Lzh Mu Bu Pm Sk 23Enter Not Smelling

Explanation of the Sutta “Do Not Enter Without Examining the Sense Faculties”

Context

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection that sets out the rules and regulations of practice in the Buddha’s community of monks and nuns. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a book of transcendent doctrine, but a system of daily discipline, reflecting the Buddha’s practical wisdom in protecting the mental and bodily health of practitioners.

The context of this sutta may lie in situations from the daily life of bhikkhus, when they had to face sensory stimuli, especially through the five doors of sense, the five entrances by which the faculties are affected. The subject of “smell” (gandha) here symbolizes every form of sensory enticement with which the practitioner must be careful.

Main Content

The sutta teaches that a practitioner should not “enter” (abhinivesa) into a fallen state among declining and pleasurable sensations without first carefully examining the sense faculties. The word “smelling” (gandha) here does not refer merely to the sense of smell, but represents the whole impact of the faculties (indriya) and sense objects (ārammaṇa).

This rule encourages comprehensive awareness in managing the senses. When a bhikkhu wishes to enter a new space, whether a monastery, a forest dwelling, or any other place, he must first “examine” (nirodhiya) whether external sensations may have a negative effect. This is not anxious avoidance, but refined carefulness.

The Buddha emphasized that a practitioner needs “sati sampajañña,” mindfulness and clear comprehension. Before entering a situation, action, or space, it is necessary to recognize: will my mind be stimulated or drawn in? Are my sense faculties “opened” too widely? Do I have the mental preparation to demonstrate independence from desires?

Practical Meaning

The sutta teaches us that practice is not the complete avoidance of the world, but the development of the capacity for self-restraint (indriya-saṁvara).