Xct Mu Bi Sk 71Soiling
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sāmisa
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanation of the Sāmisa Discourse (Soiling)
Context
The Sāmisa discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha Dharma, where rules and ethical guidance for the community of monks and nuns are recorded. This discourse concerns regulations on hygiene and cleanliness in the contemplative life of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
In the historical context, as Buddhism developed in India, the Sangha community lived together in monasteries. To maintain harmony, cultivate the mind, and practice the Dharma, regulations on manners, bodily hygiene, and the living environment became necessary. The Sāmisa discourse is one of the subtle rules intended to educate bhikkhus in respect for shared space, especially places used for concentrated practice.
Main Content
The Sāmisa discourse deals with cases of impurity or negligence related to the body in practical monastic life. Specifically, the discourse states that when bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs do not keep the body clean or leave stains on clothing, beds, or shared utensils in the monastery, this is not merely negligence but also reflects a careless mind and lack of respect.
This rule teaches that cleanliness (parisuddhi) is not an expression of arrogance or attachment to form, but an expression of a mind that does not wander, a settled mind that respects communal life. When monastics attend to small details such as keeping clothing or sleeping places clean, they are training orderliness and concentration (samādhi).
The discourse also makes clear that leaving stains or impurities can cause discomfort to others in the community, thereby affecting the collective spirit of practice. This reflects the principle of not harming others (avihiṃsā), one of the foundations of Buddhist ethics.
Practical Meaning
In the context of modern practice, the Sāmisa discourse teaches us that practitioners should not take lightly the small details of daily life.
🌏 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.