Xct Mu Bi Pm Sk 100Na aśvārūḍhāya

Exposition of the Na Aśvārūḍhāya Sutta

Background

The Na aśvārūḍhāya Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, the collection that lays down the rules of conduct for the Sangha and the bhikkhunī community. This text is recorded in the Pātimokkha section, the list of precepts that members of the monastic community must observe, specifically in the section related to offenses and special situations in the course of practice.

The title is translated with the meaning “Not [to] ride a horse,” a specific rule concerning bodily actions that those gone forth should avoid. The background of this text reflects concrete situations in the Sangha community during the Buddha’s time, when rules were established to protect purity and communal order.

Main Content

The Na aśvārūḍhāya Sutta states that bhikkhus should not ride horses or other swift animals as a means of travel. This rule is not due to a lack of practicality, but because riding a horse was seen as an action unsuitable to the image of a renunciant, one who has abandoned possessions and things that create pride and ambition.

In the ancient social context, riding a horse was often associated with power, high social status, and display. For those gone forth, such actions contradicted the aspiration of practice: to live simply, humbly, and apart from expressions of arrogance or ostentation.

The text also implicitly teaches that practitioners should walk on foot as a form of meditative cultivation. Mindful walking (caṅkama) is a traditional method of meditation that helps develop concentration and mindfulness. Riding can remove this opportunity for practice and create dependence on external means.

Practical Meaning

Although this specific rule directly concerns bhikkhus in the formal community, its deeper spirit remains valuable for modern practitioners.