Xct Mu Bi Sk 34Na sarvakāyaṁ samavadhāyā niṣatsyāma
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na sarvakāyaṁ samavadhāyā niṣatsyāma
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Explanation of the Na Sarvakāyaṁ Samavadhāyā Niṣatsyāma Text
Background
This text appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the normative collection of the Theravāda Buddhist community, where the Buddha’s teachings on ethics and monastic discipline are recorded. The title “Na sarvakāyaṁ samavadhāyā niṣatsyāma” is drawn from sections regulating the bodily actions of monks and nuns within the Sangha.
The context in which this text arose was an occasion when the Buddha, perhaps during a visit or a Sangha meeting, spoke an important principle concerning the handling of the body (kāya) in the setting of collective practice. In the Theravāda tradition, regulations concerning the body are not merely matters of hygiene or physical strength, but an essential part of cultivating the mind and developing concentration.
Main Content
The title teaches that “we should not allow every part of the body to decline all at once,” or, according to another interpretation, “one should not allow the whole body to be affected by ignorance or lack of initiative.”
The Buddha emphasized that caring for the body is a responsibility of the practitioner. The body is not something to be completely hated, nor is it an inferior thing to be indulged. The body is a tool (vehana) for practicing the Dharma, for walking, sitting in meditation, and performing tasks useful to the monastic community.
The principle of “samavadhāyā” (balance, steady care) is expressed through the following:
First, the body must not be allowed to become too weak through fasting or through the misuse of meaningless austerities. The Buddha once criticized extreme practitioners who intended to harm the body in search of the path.
Second, the body must not be allowed to fall into a state of disorder or loss of control. The limbs must be kept clean, bearing must be maintained, and actions must be considered.
Third, practice must be conducted sustainably, neither too urgently nor too loosely. This is the middle way (majjhimā paṭipadā), which the Buddha always advocated.
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