Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Sk 57Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Exposition of the Na Pāṇau Hanum Niṣatsyāma Scripture
Background
The scripture "Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma" (One should not sit with the hand placed on the chin) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, one of the three core collections of Theravāda Buddhism. The Vinaya Piṭaka contains the rules of practice that the Buddha Gotama established for the community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in order to maintain a pure outward appearance, preserve monastic order, and support the work of realization.
In historical context, rules concerning bodily conduct (kāya-saṃcara) were established when the Buddha saw that some monks acted or sat in an undignified way, negatively affecting the image of the Sangha and obstructing the development of meditation. This scripture specifically concerns how to sit, an indispensable part of ancient Buddhist practice.
Main Content
The scripture "Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma" rejects an improper way of sitting, especially the posture of sitting with the hand placed on the chin (pāṇau hanum). This way of sitting is considered undignified, expressing boredom, laziness, or lack of reverence. It is an action that may be understood as indifference or inattention, which is contrary to the spirit of Buddhist practice, where every action should be purposeful and conscious.
The Vinaya Piṭaka contains detailed guidance on the way bhikkhus should sit (nisajjā-kamma). Proper sitting should be respectful, with the back straight, the eyes looking forward, ready to practice meditation (bhāvanā) or listen to the Dharma. This posture reflects a mental state of alertness, contemplation, and depth.
Rules like this are not only about material action, but are also skillful means (upāya) for training the mind. When a bhikkhu maintains dignity in every sitting posture, this helps basic wakefulness be maintained, drowsiness be removed, and the mind not fall into negligence or distracted thought.
🌏 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.