Bi Sk 2121. Hands on hips

Khambhakata (Hands on Hips)

Background

The Khambhakata Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, an important part of the scriptures of Theravāda Buddhism. This text belongs to a series of regulations concerning the conduct and deportment of the Saṅgha, particularly those actions regarded as unfitting for a monk engaged in spiritual training. Within the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, each regulation is typically established in response to a specific incident or situation arising within the community of the Noble Saṅgha, whereupon the Buddha Śākyamuni laid down a rule in order to cultivate proper conduct and to guide the community with care and urgency.

This text reflects the meticulous attention that Theravāda Buddhism pays to even the smallest details of moral comportment, for all outward actions—postures and gestures—are expressions of the inner life of the practitioner. The correction of basic conduct is therefore an essential part of the cultivation of the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariyaṭṭhaṅgikamagga).

Main Content

The Khambhakata Sutta concerns the posture of "hands on hips" (khambhakata), that is, holding the hands clenched and placed on the back or pressed against the hips. In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this posture is considered incompatible with the humility and respectfulness that a monk must maintain. The posture evokes arrogance, insolence, or disrespect—qualities contrary to the Pañca Sīla (the Five Precepts) and to the spirit of Sīla (virtue) in its broader sense.

The Buddha advised that monks should not maintain this posture, particularly when interacting with others or walking in public. The standing or sitting posture of a practitioner must express purity, humility, and respect. The way one stands, the way one sits, the way one walks—all must accord with the bodhisatta path and with the Noble Eightfold Path.

This regulation may be understood as part of Dhamma-Vinaya (the Dhamma and the Discipline), wherein the Buddha gave particular attention to the training of the sense faculties (indriya-saṃvara) and to the restraint of action through the three doors (thought, speech, and bodily action).