Lzh Mu Bu Vb Sk 86Clasping Knees

The Pallatthika Sutta (The Clasping Knees Sutta)

Background

The Pallatthika Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon, the collection of regulations on monastic discipline in the original Buddha Dharma. The word “Pallatthika” comes from Pāli and means “clasping the knees” or “embracing the two knees,” a bodily movement suggesting discomfort, tension, or an inappropriate attitude.

This sutta is recorded in the context of Gotama Buddha (Śākyamuni) teaching about improper actions of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, especially actions related to conduct, attitude, and posture in the monastery. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a set of dry prohibitions, but detailed guidance helping the Sangha maintain purity, harmony, and mutual respect in the community of practice.

Main Content

The Pallatthika Sutta refers to a specific action: a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī tightly clasping the knees, a movement expressing tension, discomfort, or impatience. In the monastic context, this gesture may appear when someone cannot endure difficulties in practice, or when the mind is not settled.

The Buddha taught that such outward actions reflect the inner state of the practitioner. Clasping the knees is an expression of instability and lack of concentration (samādhi). This does not accord with the spirit of practice of one gone forth, who has abandoned worldly desires to pursue the Path. The Vinaya Piṭaka therefore warns that such actions, though they appear small, reflect spiritual shortcomings that must be corrected.

The sutta provides specific instructions on how to remove such habits through mental cultivation, training in patience (khanti), and developing mindfulness (sati). The Buddha emphasizes that truly virtuous bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs will maintain proper posture, calm attitude, and dignified conduct in all circumstances, even when facing difficulty.