San Mu Bu Pm GBM 2 Sk 11Well-Restrained
Pāli / Sanskrit:Susaṁvuta
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THE DISCOURSE ON BEING WELL-RESTRAINED (SUSAṀVUTA)
Background
The discourse on being well-restrained (Susaṁvuta) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the regulatory collection of Theravāda Buddhism, which records the modes of practice and discipline of the Sangha. Unlike discourses in the Sutta Piṭaka that focus on doctrine and meditation, the Vinaya Piṭaka guides those gone forth to practice according to a pure way of life, preserving perfected conduct in order to realize the Dharma.
The word "Susaṁvuta" means "well-restrained" or "well protected." It is composed of "su" (good, well) and "saṁvuta" (protected, restrained). This teaching emphasizes that practitioners need to preserve the precepts not only for personal benefit but also for the harmony of the Sangha and respect for the Dharma.
Main Content
The discourse on being well-restrained teaches the importance of restraint of the senses (indriya saṁvara) and observance of the precepts (sīla). According to the Theravāda tradition, sense restraint is the foundation of ethical practice. When the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind function without control, the mind easily falls into thoughts of greed, craving, and hatred.
The teaching emphasizes that being "well-restrained" is not tight guarding or painful repression. Rather, it is intelligent freedom, like a well-trained horse that knows how to regulate its strength in order to reach a noble goal. A well-restrained practitioner is one who has learned how to let the mind come into contact with sense objects in a measured way, without being governed by desire or defilements.
Specific rules are listed to instruct bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in how to conduct themselves with food, clothing, lodging, and medicines, the necessities of survival that can also easily become receptacles for greed. Being well-restrained means using these things with clear awareness (sampajañña) and mindfulness (sati).
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