San Sarv Bu Pm Finot Sk 19Well-Restrained
Pāli / Sanskrit:Susaṁvuta
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Well-Restrained Sutta — Susaṁvuta
Background
The “Well-Restrained” Sutta (Susaṁvuta) appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, reflecting the deep concern of the Buddha Śākyamuni in building a community of monks and nuns with profound rules of conduct. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a collection of confining prohibitions, but guidance that helps disciples in practice establish the path of liberation.
The term “Susaṁvuta,” from “su” (well) and “saṁvuta” (restrained, controlled), refers to those who have truly restrained their senses, mind, speech, and actions. This is a quality the Buddha especially praised in bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs who practice rightly.
In the context of the Pāli Canon, the legal collections are recorded in detail in order to protect the pure nature of the teaching and create conditions for the process of liberation (vimutti) to unfold. The Well-Restrained Sutta calls attention to the disciplined strengthening of comprehensive practice.
Main Content
This discourse honors those who know how to restrain themselves comprehensively. According to the Theravāda tradition, “well-restrained” includes five principal areas: restraint of the sense faculties (indriya-saṁvara), restraint in eating (bhojana-saṁvara), restraint in sleep and wakefulness (jāgara-saṁvara), a mind well established in concentration (cittaṁ sampannasīla), and especially observance of the Pātimokkha, the list of 227 rules for bhikkhus, or 311 for bhikkhunīs.
Restraint of the senses means that when the eye contacts forms, the ear contacts sounds, and so on, the practitioner does not allow attachment, hatred, or delusion to arise. This is not resistance or suppression, but mindfulness and clear understanding of the impermanent and non-self nature of all phenomena.
The discourse also emphasizes that the well-restrained person is worthy of respect and worthy of offerings, because they have practiced with earnestness. They become a light for many people, a living example of genuine practice.
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