Xct Mu Bi Sk 15Lowered Eyes

Lowered Eyes — Okkhittacakkhu

Source Status

The entry numbered Xct Mu Bi Sk 15 belongs to the Comparative Vinaya — Tibetan collection in the group Sectarian Buddhist Scriptures · Comparative. The corresponding full Tibetan source text has not yet been directly collated in the Inti Dharma database; therefore, the presentation below is not a translation of the original scripture, but an AI explanation based entirely on the descriptive information provided, including the Vietnamese title Mắt nhìn xuống, the English title Lowered Eyes, and the Pāli/Sanskrit/Tibetan title Okkhittacakkhu. All analytical content is limited to what can reasonably be determined from the term and its position in this classification. Readers should consult the original Tibetan text directly to verify details.

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Background

This entry belongs to the Comparative Vinaya — Tibetan, a collection that gathers and compares Vinaya training rules among different sectarian traditions, in which the Tibetan portion often reflects the lineage of the Mūlasarvāstivāda, one of the important Vinaya schools preserved in full through Tibetan literature. The designation Mu Bi Sk in the numbering suggests that this is a training rule in the Sekhiyā group (Sk — training rules concerning decorous deportment), specifically rule 15 in the Sekhiyā section of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya according to this comparative system.

The Sekhiyā group is a collection of training rules that do not result in grave offenses when violated, but serve to regulate the gestures, attitudes, and demeanor of a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī in daily life, especially while going for alms, receiving food, moving about, and interacting with laypeople. They reflect the understanding that outward conduct is not separate from inward practice, and that dignified deportment by example is a practical means of teaching the Dharma.

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Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

The term Okkhittacakkhu may be analyzed semantically as follows:

• Okkhitta (Pāli) / corresponding Sanskrit avakṣipta or namita: lowered, cast down, not directed outward.
• Cakkhu (Pāli) / cakṣu (Sanskrit): eye, the eye faculty, vision.

Together, Okkhittacakkhu means “having the eyes lowered”, that is, the appearance of one who keeps the gaze directed toward the ground, does not glance sideways, and does not cast the eyes about in search of surrounding sights. In the Vinaya tradition, this is one of the basic deportments prescribed for an ordained person when going on alms round, entering a donor’s house, or moving in public.

This training rule number 15, according to its position in the Sekhiyā group, is very likely connected with the regulation that a bhikkhu should keep his gaze lowered when receiving food or going on alms round: not looking around into another’s bowl, not roving the eyes over sights, and not allowing the eye faculty to become a condition for distraction or heedlessness. However, because the full text has not been collated, the exact scope of application, the originating story, or the accompanying judgment cannot be determined.

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Meaning for Practice

The training rule Okkhittacakkhu, regardless of the Vinaya system to which it belongs, touches upon a deeply important principle of practice: guarding the sense faculties (indriyasaṃvara). This is not merely social courtesy, but an intentional practice to protect the mind from being carried away by external objects through the door of the eye faculty.

In many scriptural and Vinaya texts, “keeping the eyes lowered” is regarded as the expression of a mind abiding in mindfulness. When the eyes do not wander, the mind is less easily drawn after greed, hatred, and delusion arising from visible forms. This is why bodily deportment in monastic traditions is closely connected with meditative cultivation: dignified bodily conduct is a foundation for the settling of the mind.

For students of Vinaya in the comparative sectarian tradition, studying this rule in the context of the Mūlasarvāstivāda also helps reveal the consistency in the spirit of the Vinaya across lineages: although languages and technical details may differ, the basic principle of guarding the faculties and maintaining mindfulness in every posture is preserved throughout.

For lay practitioners, this may also be applied at a corresponding level: an inwardly directed attitude, not allowing the eyes, and thereby the mind, to run after external stimuli, is a foundation for practical mindful living.

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Comparative Note

Because the Tibetan full text of this training rule has not yet been extracted and collated in the system, all the analysis above is general and based on terminology and classificatory position, and does not reflect the specific wording of the original. Researchers who wish to understand the exact content of Sekhiyā rule 15 in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya should consult authoritative Tibetan editions or scholarly comparative Vinaya studies in order to obtain a reliable basis for comparison.