Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 108Medical Treament Below the Navel
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pasākhejāta
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Sutta on Treating Illness Below the Spine (Pasākhejāta)
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of rules governing the community of monks and nuns in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This sutta belongs to the Mulephandhavagga section of the Mahāvagga, where events in the Sangha community and the Buddha’s guidance on handling practical medical issues are recorded.
Pasākhejāta (from pasākheja, vigorous rubbing, massage, touching) consists of regulations related to medical treatment for monks and nuns when they are ill. During the Buddha’s lifetime, monks and nuns often encountered illnesses requiring treatment, and the Buddha established rules to protect their spirit of practice during treatment, as well as to ensure moral purity.
This sutta reflects the maturity of Theravāda Buddha-Dharma: it does not reject medical science, but instead guides its use in a way consistent with Dharma practice.
Main Content
The specific content of this sutta has not been fully translated, but according to the general context of the Vinaya Pitaka, the Pasākhejāta section concerns regulations on using medical therapies, especially strong techniques such as rubbing and massage (pasākheja) in the area below the spine, a region sensitive in relation to spiritual adjustments in practice.
These regulations usually include when strong therapies may be used, who has the right to perform them, such as physicians, medicine preparers, or trained monks, what must be avoided so as not to harm the spirit of practice, and rules to protect the purity of both the healer and the one receiving treatment.
Through these specific regulations, the Buddha teaches that caring for bodily health is consistent with the noble Dharma, because a healthy body is a necessary instrument for practicing the Dhamma. However, such care must always be guided by mindfulness and must not allow desire or subjectivity to cover the mind.
🌏 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.
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.