Lzh Mu Bu Vb Sk 80Walking Behind
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pacchatogamana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Walking Behind Sutta (Pacchatogamana)
Background
The Vinaya Pitaka is a collection of disciplinary rules for the community of monks and nuns in Buddhism. Within it, rules related to the daily conduct of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs are recorded in detail, with the purpose of building a life of harmony, purity, and mutual respect. The Pacchatogamana Sutta belongs among the regulations on courtesy in the attitudes and actions of monastics.
The background from which this sutta arose lies in specific situations within the Sangha community. The Buddha, with incomparable wisdom, observed improper behavior by certain people and established rules to guide them on the path of the true Dharma. The Pacchatogamana Sutta concerns contact, especially when monastics walk together or behind a teacher.
Main Content
This sutta states that bhikkhus should not walk too closely behind another monastic, especially one of higher standing, with the intention of harassing or showing a bad attitude. Specifically, the behavior of “walking behind” (pacchatogamana) is considered inappropriate if done with the purpose of disturbing, needlessly following, or showing disrespect.
This rule does not completely prohibit walking behind someone. Instead, it emphasizes that intention must be watched. If you follow a teacher in order to learn the Dharma, to support the work of the Sangha, or out of polite respect, this is appropriate. However, if there is strange intention, a deceitful attitude, or a desire to cause disturbance, then that action violates the spirit of this rule.
The Vinaya Piṭaka teaches that closely tracking someone, walking too close beside or behind them without a valid reason, violates the rule. This reflects deeper principles of respecting personal space, privacy, and the position of other monastics in the community.
Practical Meaning
Beyond its concrete legal form, the Pacchatogamana Sutta carries profound lessons about the ethics of practice.
🌏 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.