San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Sk 65Licking the Hands
Pāli / Sanskrit:Hatthanillehaka
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Exposition of the Hatthanillehaka Sutta (Licking the Hands)
Background
The Hatthanillehaka Sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early (Theravāda) tradition, one of the most important scriptures on monastic discipline. The context in which this sutta appears concerns the Buddha’s establishment of rules of conduct in the community of monks and nuns (Sangha) in order to protect concentration, purity of mind, and the honor of renunciants.
The sutta was recorded from a specific event in which a bhikkhu acted in a way unsuitable to mindful habits (sati). The action “licking the hands” (hattha nillehaka) in the title refers to a greedy, hurried, or uncontrolled manner in eating, regarded as an expression of loss of control over the sense faculties (indriya). For this reason the Buddha established disciplinary rules to instruct his disciples concerning eating behavior and self-mastery.
Main Content
In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this sutta records the Buddha’s specific instructions concerning ungraceful or greedy conduct while consuming food. The sutta states that bhikkhus should maintain dignity, courtesy, and mindfulness (sati) in every activity, especially ordinary matters such as eating.
The act of licking the hands is an expression of greed (lobha), not in accordance with a pure manner of eating. The sutta emphasizes that true monastics must govern the faculties such as eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind (salayatana) in order to avoid unwholesome influence from sense objects. Licking one’s hands immediately after eating rice is regarded as an action dominated by craving and lacking self-respect.
The Buddha skillfully pointed out that true bhikkhus should maintain moderation (samati) in eating—eating enough to nourish the body, but not allowing greed to dominate decisions. This sutta is part of the minor disciplinary rules (Pācittiya), intended to preserve moral conduct and clarify the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the Sangha.
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