Upp Sk 8Lowered Eyes (2nd)
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dutiyaokkhittacakkhu
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The Second Sutta on Lowered Eyes (Dutiyaokkhittacakkhu)
Background
The Second Sutta on Lowered Eyes (Dutiyaokkhittacakkhu) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, in the Uppannakhandhaka, the chapters of discipline related to the conditions and events in the life of the Sangha. This sutta reflects an important stage in the history of the Buddha’s rules of training, as he gradually built the discipline to guide the community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
The title “Lowered Eyes” (okkhittacakkhu) refers to the act of managing one’s gaze, one of the basic disciplines in early Buddhist practice. The repetition “Second” (Dutiya) shows that this sutta is part of a series of similar regulations, each issued to address specific situations that arose in the Sangha.
Main Content
The specific content of this sutta has not been fully translated, but based on the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka and similar texts, we may understand that this sutta concerns an instruction about “lowering the eyes,” a practice of managing the gaze that bhikkhus are encouraged to undertake.
In Theravāda Buddhism, restraint of the senses is regarded as the first step on the path of practice. The eye (cakkhu) is one of the six sense doors (chabbindriya), and controlling the gaze does not mean tightly closing the eyes to avoid seeing, but not allowing curiosity and wandering thoughts to lead one. A bhikkhu should walk with the gaze extending only two or three meters ahead, not turning to look sideways, not looking around restlessly.
The regulation “for the second time” suggests that the Buddha had given a similar instruction the first time, but perhaps new situations occurred, or further clarification was needed, so he repeated it with adjustment or added emphasis. This is the flexible teaching method of the Buddha’s Dharma: rules arise from practical need, not from rigid imposition.
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