Bi Sk 5252. Licking the hand

COMMENTARY ON THE HATTHANILLEHAKA SUTTA (LICKING THE HAND)

Background

The Hatthanillehaka belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically the Sekhiya (Sikkhā) section — the training rules concerning deportment and refined conduct within the Pātimokkha. It is the fifty-second of the seventy-five Sekhiya rules, established to cultivate refined behaviour in the daily life of the Sangha.

The Sekhiya rules are not fundamental precepts such as the Pārājika or Saṅghādisesa, but rather training rules pertaining to dignity and proper conduct. The Buddha established these not only so that the Sangha might maintain virtue and solemnity, but also to avoid the censure of the world, and to help the lay community give rise to reverence toward those who have gone forth.

The specific background of this training rule arose from the habit of certain bhikkhus of licking their hands while eating — an action regarded as lacking in refinement and self-restraint. This created an unfavourable impression in the eyes of the lay donors, leading them to consider the monastics deficient in dignity, no different from ordinary people driven by greed for food. The Blessed One, with his penetrating wisdom regarding the psychology of society and the purpose of teaching, thereupon established this training rule.

Main Content

Sekhiya rule fifty-two prescribes: "I will not eat having licked the hand" (na hatthaṃ nillehitvā bhuñjissāmīti sikkhā karaṇīyā). This is one of the training rules concerning the proper and dignified manner of eating for those who have gone forth.

According to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli tradition, when taking a meal, a bhikkhu should practise mindfulness (sati) and clear comprehension (sampajañña). Licking the hand after eating is a manifestation of a mind attached to taste, lacking in self-restraint, and violating the spirit of "eating in order to live, not living in order to eat" that the Buddha's teaching enjoins.

The specific content of this sutta has not yet been fully rendered into a standalone translated text, but in accordance with the general spirit of the Sekhiya rules, this training rule emphasises three essential points:

First, the development of mindfulness in every movement. Even so small an act as taking a meal is an occasion for practice and for cultivating an awakened mind.

Second, respect toward the donor. Food is the fruit of the effort and goodwill of those who offer it. The act of licking the hand expresses an attitude of greed and ingratitude, diminishing the faith of the donor.

Third, the pure image of the Sangha. The Buddha consistently emphasised that those who have gone forth must be a model of self-restraint and self-mastery, so that the world may follow their example.

Practical Significance

Although Hatthanillehaka is but a minor training rule within the system of the Vinaya Piṭaka, its significance for practice far exceeds the surface of a rule of conduct. It is a discipline of mindfulness in bodily postures and daily activities (iriyāpatha-sampajañña).

For the Theravāda practitioner, every gesture is a place of practice. When taking a meal, the bhikkhu reflects: this food is used to sustain the body not for the gratification of the sense of taste, but so that the body may remain healthy in service of the practice. Not licking the hand is the relinquishing of the last clinging to flavour — even the small remnant of food still lingering upon the fingers.