Lzh Mu Bu Vb Sk 62Poking Tongue

EXPLANATION OF THE JIVHĀNICCHĀRAKA SUTTA

“The Sutta on Sticking Out the Tongue”

Background

The Jivhānicchāraka Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon of the Early Buddhist tradition. This sutta records an event concerning discipline in the Sangha during the Buddha’s lifetime. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a set of rigid rules, but teachings intended to educate monastics in steadfast practice, moral discipline (sīla), and mindfulness within the community.

The incident of “sticking out the tongue” (jivhā-nicchāraka) seems to concern a disciplinary violation by a monastic, perhaps an act of disrespect, provocation, or lack of dignity within the community of practice. This context reflects the Buddha’s determination to maintain the purity and harmony of the Sangha, where each member bears responsibility for cultivating ethics and respecting one another’s human dignity.

Main Content

Although the title may appear unusual, this sutta touches upon a prominent human problem: disrespect and unawareness of the effects of small actions. According to the Vinaya tradition, the act of “sticking out the tongue,” even if it might be regarded as trifling or harmless, is used by the Buddha as a lesson on the importance of self-restraint and mindfulness in every moment.

This sutta teaches that no action is too small to require attention. In the context of the Sangha, every gesture, every word, and every attitude is part of the process of mental cultivation. When a monastic does not control bodily action (kāya-saṁvara), it affects not only himself but also disrupts the harmony of the community. Such behavior becomes an expression of greed, hatred, and delusion, the three poisons (tiryavisaṁ).

The Buddha taught that monastics must guard the five sense faculties (pañcendriyāni) with mindfulness. In particular, restraint of the tongue (jivhā-saṁvara) is an essential part of virtue (sīla).