San Mu Bu Pm GBM 2 Sk 27Swinging the Arms
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bāhuppacālaka
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The Bāhuppacālaka Sutta — On Swinging the Arms
Context
The Bāhuppacālaka Sutta (Pāli: bāhu = arm, uppacālaka = swinging, raising up) is a part of the Vinaya Pitaka in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha Dharma. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a collection of prohibitions, but also records specific cases in the Sangha and nuns’ community during the Buddha’s time, from which rules of practice arose. This sutta belongs to the section on Pārājika or offenses and situations related to bodily actions of those gone forth.
In the historical context, the disciplinary suttas record inappropriate actions performed by monastics, leading to the Buddha’s intervention in order to establish standards of proper action. The Bāhuppacālaka Sutta originated from such a concrete situation, where the swinging or raising of the arms by certain monastics was considered inconsistent with the dignity of the life of practice.
Main Content
This sutta records that some members of the Sangha, while acting or doing daily work, often swung their arms innocently or unintentionally. These actions, though they may appear natural, were regarded as inappropriate for the practice of one gone forth. Such unrestrained, playful, or unintentional swinging of the arms is contrary to the principle of sampajañña (mindfulness, clear comprehension) that a monastic needs to maintain.
When the Buddha learned of this situation, he laid down clear instructions concerning the use of the body. The important point is not an absolute prohibition of swinging the arms, but the emphasis that every bodily action must be performed mindfully, purposefully, and with dignity. Every movement of the hands, feet, and eyes should be restrained and carried out with clear understanding.
From this, the Vinaya Piṭaka formed rules concerning ālokasaññatti (appropriateness, what should be clear): what should be done and what should be avoided. Even actions that seem minor, such as swinging the arms, must be cultivated with awareness.
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