San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Sk 62Na jihvāsphoṭakaṁ paribhokṣyāma

Exposition of the Na Jihvāsphoṭakaṁ Paribhokṣyāma Sutta

Background

The Na Jihvāsphoṭakaṁ Paribhokṣyāma Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon—the collection of training rules established by Buddha Gotama for the community of monks and nuns. The title of this sutta, roughly translated as “We shall not injure the tongue,” reflects the deep concern of the Buddhadharma with control of the senses, especially the actions of speech and eating.

According to the Early tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a set of administrative regulations. It is a concrete practice for cultivating the mind, gradually subduing mental defilements (kilesa) through bodily, verbal, and mental action. Each class of rule (pārajika), each precept (sīla), has deep roots in the understanding of cause and effect and the path leading to liberation.

The Na Jihvāsphoṭakaṁ Paribhokṣyāma Sutta lies among the rules related to eating and the protection of the sense faculties. In the context of the austere practice of bhikkhus, controlling what is brought into the mouth and how one speaks has deep significance.

Main Content

“We shall not injure the tongue” is a commitment that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs should remember. In this spirit, the tongue (jihvā) is not only a bodily organ, but also a symbol of the capacity for speech—an instrument that can create the greatest trouble or bring immeasurable benefit.

This rule concerns not eating foods that may harm the health of the practitioner, or speaking words that may harm harmony in the community of monks and nuns. It also includes the meaning of not misusing the tongue through excessive eating, or through careless speech that may fall into the four unwholesome verbal actions (catasso vacīduccaritā): lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous or inaccurate chatter.