Upp Sk 57On the Ground
Pāli / Sanskrit:Chamā
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The Sutta on Lying on the Ground (Chamā Sutta)
Background
The Chamā Sutta is recorded in the Upāsaka Skandha, the section concerning lay followers in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. These are practical instructions that the Buddha taught to monks, nuns, and laypeople concerning matters related to daily life in practice.
The background of this sutta reflects the learning and practice environment in the Buddha’s time, when practitioners needed specific guidance about dwelling places and modes of living in order to protect concentration and avoid distractions. Lying on the ground is a means of practice in the Theravāda tradition, related to the appropriate practice of austerity for disciplining mind and body.
Main Content
The specific content of this sutta has not been fully translated in the available materials, but according to the context of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, the Chamā Sutta, concerning lying on the ground, or perhaps concerning lying down and resting, refers to the rules and benefits of limiting the comfort that arises from excessively desirable lodgings.
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Buddha often taught that bhikkhus should be able to live with few wishes (appicchatā), not paying too much attention to lodging, mats, or luxurious requisites. Lying on the ground in an appropriate way is a means of training the mind not to run after the needs of the body. This does not encourage self-torment, but is a teaching on fewness of desire and contentment (santussa) with what is available.
The sutta teaches that when a practitioner can sleep on the ground while still keeping the mind peaceful, with concentration undisturbed by posture or dwelling place, that person has truly drawn nearer to liberation. This is an expression of emotional independence, not depending on external conditions.
Practical Meaning
The teaching on lying on the ground should not be understood as meaningless self-mortification, but as a means of examining the extent to which our body still depends on material conditions. When we can accept minimalist sleeping postures and still cultivate concentration, the mind becomes more lucid.
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