Xct Mu Bu Pm Sk 37Na saṁkṣipya pādau niṣatsyāma
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na saṁkṣipya pādau niṣatsyāma
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Exposition of the Na Saṁkṣipya Pādau Niṣatsyāma Discourse
Context
This discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, within the Pātimokkha, the collection of basic rules of discipline for bhikkhus. The Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled to protect and maintain the purity of the Sangha community, helping disciples practice a way of life independent of sensual desire, keeping the mind pure, and turning toward nirvana.
This discourse lies among the detailed rules, concerning sitting posture and relatively small behavior that nevertheless has deep symbolic meaning. The subjects to whom it applies are monastics who have gone forth in the Sangha community. The context in which this rule arose reflects the attention of the Buddha and the elders to details of action, because these are the elements that make up the attitude of practice and respect within the community.
Main Content
The title “Na saṁkṣipya pādau niṣatsyāma” may be translated as “Bhikkhus should not sit with both legs drawn in” or “One should not sit after drawing the two feet together.” This is a rule concerning sitting posture within the Sangha community.
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, detailed regulations on bodily posture are not meaningless restrictions, but guidelines for monastics to maintain dignity, self-control, and a positive image of the Sangha community before the people. This rule emphasizes that when bhikkhus sit, whether in a monastery, while teaching Dharma, or during chanting sessions, they should keep an upright, open, and self-possessed posture, rather than drawing the legs up beneath the body.
A contracted sitting posture is considered undignified, or may suggest excessive comfort, inappropriate to the spirit of austere practice. The Vinaya Piṭaka emphasizes that outward action is an expression of the mind: in body, speech, and mind, every detail reflects the mind of the practitioner.
Practical Meaning
This rule teaches us a lesson about the relationship between bodily posture and mental state.
🌏 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.