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Early Schools · Comparative Canon · Comparative Vinaya — Sanskrit

San Mu Bu Pm GBM 2 Ss 2Physical Contact

Pāli / Sanskrit:Kāyasaṁsagga

📖299 words · ~1 min read
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Interpreted by Inti AI (English)
🪷 AI interpretation

Explanation of the Kāyasaṁsagga Sutta (Bodily Contact)

Context

The Kāyasaṁsagga Sutta (Pāli: bodily contact) is a part of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection that sets forth rules of practice for the monastic community, maintained in order to protect the purity of the Sangha and support each member on the path to liberation.

The regulations on bodily contact in this sutta reflect the Buddha’s awareness of physical interactions between bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. In the early monastic context, these regulations were not meant as criticism or condemnation, but as practical instructions to preserve the concentration and dignity of the mind in the process of practice.

Main Content

The Kāyasaṁsagga Sutta deals with standards concerning bodily contact between members of different sexes in the Sangha. The Buddha laid down clear instructions to avoid situations that could lead to misconduct or create difficulty for another person’s practice.

According to the spirit of the Vinaya Piṭaka, bodily contact is regarded as one of the subtle moments in which the mind is easily stirred or strong impressions may be created. This sutta instructs that bhikkhus should avoid unnecessary forms of contact with nuns, and vice versa, in order to maintain purity of mind and conduct (sīla).

The specific regulations concern which cases of contact are permitted, such as necessary daily tasks, and which cases should be avoided entirely. This reflects a basic principle of the Vinaya: rules are not the final goal, but instruments for protecting the mind during the process of practice leading to Nirvana (Nibbāna).

Practical Meaning

The Kāyasaṁsagga Sutta carries deep meaning for the training of the mind. Although the language of the sutta focuses on rules of outward action, its true essence is an education in vigilance (appamāda).

🌏Why is this sūtra summarized by Inti AI?

🌏 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.

Translation source: Interpreted by AILicense: CC0-1.0 (Sujato) · personal-use (Minh Châu) · EN: AI translation from Vietnamese source, awaiting source English

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.

🔗Parallel editions
Bu Ss 2 · 2. Physical contact with a womanVinaya Piṭaka — The Discipline BasketLzh Dg Bu Vb Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseLzh Mg Bu Vb Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseBu Ss 2 · 2. Physical contact with a womanVinaya Piṭaka — The Discipline BasketLzh Dg Bu Pm Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseKa Bu Pm Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseLzh Mg Bu Pm Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseLzh Mu Bu Vb Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseSan Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — SanskritLzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — ChineseSan Lo Bu Pm Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — SanskritXct Mu Bu Pm Ss 2 · Physical ContactComparative Vinaya — Tibetan
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