The Book of Protection Paritta

Weychin SG

Translated from the original Pali
With introductory essay
and explanatory notes
by

With a Foreword by

Buddhist Publication Society
P.O. Box 61
54, Sangharaja Mawatha
Kandy, Sri Lanka

'May peace harmonious bless this land;
May it be ever free from maladies and war;
May there be harvest rich, and increased yield of grain;
May everyone delight in righteousness;
May no perverted thought find entry to your minds;
May all your thoughts e'er pious be and lead
to your success religiously.'

-- Tibetan Great Yogi, Milarepa

* * *

Most gratefully and most devotedly
dedicated to my departed parents

('Matapitaro pubbacariyati vuccare')
-- Anguttara Nikaya, ii. p. 70

* * *

Be loving and be pitiful
And well controlled in virtue's ways,
Strenuous bent upon the goal,
And onward ever bravely press.

That danger does in dalliance lie --
That earnestness is sure and safe --
This when you see, then cultivate
The Eight-fold Path so shall ye realize,
So make your own, the Deathless Way.'

-- Psalms of the Brethren, 979,980

The Book of Protection which is an anthology of selected discourses of the Buddha compiled by the teachers of old, was originally meant as a handbook for the newly ordained novice. The idea was that those novices who are not capable of studying large portions of the "Discourse Collection" (sutta pitaka) should at least be conversant with the Book of Protection. Even today it is so. The twenty four discourses are selected from the five Nikayas or the original Collections in Pali containing the Buddha's discourses. The fact that the book was meant for the novice is clear from the prefatory paragraphs that precede the discourses.

The precepts are ten, and not five which are the basic principles of the lay follower. The novice is expected to observe the ten precepts. This is followed by the "Questions to be Answered by a Novice" and the "Thirty Two Parts of the Body" which is really a type of meditation on the constituent parts of one's body. Then comes the "Four-fold reflection of a Monk," and finally the "Ten Essentials (Dhammas)" to be reflected upon by one who has gone forth to live the holy life. The discourses come next. If one patiently and painstakingly studies these discourses, he could gather a good knowledge of the essentials and fundamental teachings of the Buddha.

The Maha-samaya sutta and the Atanatiya sutta ending the book may appear to some as pointless, but a careful reader will no doubt appreciate their relevance. In the essay on the Value of Paritta an attempt is made to show what paritta means to a Buddhist.

I have endeavored to keep as close as possible to the original wording of the text without making it too literal a translation on the one hand, and a word for word translation on the other, and have avoided translating the Pali stanzas into verse (except the stanzas of discourses No. 5, 11, 19) in order to give a very faithful, easy, and readable rendering. I have preserved the synonymous words and repetitions found in the suttas since they are the ipsissima verba of the Buddha handed down to us through oral tradition.

In all the suttas the word "Bhagava," the "Blessed One," an epithet of the Buddha, is frequently used. To avoid using the same word too often in the translation, I have, at times, used the word "the Buddha" for "Bhagava" or a personal pronoun to denote him.

The Pali words and names included in this work are lacking in diacritical marks. In some places however, the smaller type with such marks are used. But students of Pali may not find any difficulty in pronouncing them. The reader may refer to the Khandha-vatta Jataka (No. 203) when studying the Khandha Paritta.

The Angulimala Paritta is a short discourse that does not appear in the Book of Protection (Paritta text), but as it is a paritta made use of by expectant mothers in Buddhist lands, I have included it in the Appendix. Other Pali stanzas, used by the Buddhists when reciting the Parittas, are also included in the Appendix with their English renderings.

I am indebted beyond measure to Mr. V. F. Gunaratna, retired public trustee of Sri Lanka, for his painstaking reading of the script, his careful and valuable suggestions, and for writing the Foreword. The Ven. Kheminda Maha Thera assisted me in finding the references, the Ven. Siridhamma Thera in reading the proofs, and Mr. K. G. Abeysinghe in typing the script. I am grateful to them. To Miss K. Jayawardana of Union printing Works and her staff who took a keen interest in the printing of this work, I am thankful. Last, but far from least, my thanks are due to Messrs D. Munidase and U. P. de Zoysa for all the help they have given me.

Piyadassi

Vesakha-mase, 2519: May 1975
Vajirarama,
Colombo 5,
Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

The world of English Buddhist literature has been enriched by the publication of this book entitled "The Book of Protection." This is a translation by the Ven. Piyadassi Maha Thera of what is well known to every Sinhala Buddhist home as the Pirit Potha which means the book of protection. It contains a collection of suttas or discourses taken from the teaching of the Buddha and are meant to be recited in temples and homes for the purpose of obtaining protection from all harm. This is achieved by recalling with saddha or confidence the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha referred to in these discourses. There are many who listen to the recitation of these discourses but who hardly understand the import of these discourses and therefore any benefit they may gain must be necessarily slight. This translation, therefore, supplies a long-felt need as it will help such persons to listen with understanding when pirith is being recited. The venerable translator is therefore to be congratulated as being the first to translate a book of this nature.

To translate a book is not so easy as to write a book. The work of translation calls for precision and concentrated thought. A translation that keeps too close to the original is apt to suffer from a failure to convey the spirit underlying the original text.

At the same time a translation that is too free runs the risk of expressing more than the author of the original composition had intended and thereby misrepresents him. The venerable translator has certainly done well by steering clear between these two extremes and therefore deserves special praise.

Further more, he has by the manner of his translation made it evident that he has been at pains to facilitate the purpose for which pirith is recited. By means of explanations in parenthesis and helpful foot notes he has striven to elucidate the meaning of words and phrases where their full significance appears to be obscure. If a further clarification is needed the reader is invited to refer to Ven. Piyadassi Maha Thera's book The Buddha's Ancient Path [Buddhist Publication Society, P.O. Box 61, Kandy, Sri Lanka] which deals with quite a number of points concerning theBuddha-dhamma.

There can be no doubt that this translation of the Pirith Potha by one such as the Ven. Piyadassi Maha Thera -- a reputed author of several Buddhist books and a preacher whose sermons have gained great acceptance both in the East and the West -- will be hailed with delight by those who desire to obtain a full understanding of the pirith that is recited in temples and homes -- sometimes with marvelous effect.

Hitanukampa sambuddho-yadannamanusasati
Anurodha virodhehi-vippamutto Tathagato

Love and compassion does the Enlightened feel
Towards another when he instructs him
The Tathagata is fully released
From attachment and resentment.

-- Samyutta Nikaya i. p. iii.

'Recent research in medicine, in experimental psychology and what is still called parapsychology has thrown some light on the nature of mind and its position in the world. During the last forty years the conviction has steadily grown among medical men that very many causes of diseases organic as well as functional, are directly caused by mental states. The body becomes ill because the mind controlling it either secretly wants to make it ill, or else because it is in such a state of agitation that it cannot prevent the body from sickening. Whatever its physical nature, resistance to disease is unquestionably correlated with the physiological condition of the patient.'[1]

'Mind not only makes sick, it also cures. An optimistic patient has more chance of getting well than a patient who is worried and unhappy. The recorded instances of faith healing includes cases in which even organic diseases were cured almost instantaneously.'[2]

In this connection it is interesting to observe the prevalence, in Buddhist lands, of listening to the recital of the dhamma or the doctrine of the Buddha in order to avert illness or danger, to ward off the influence of malignant beings, to obtain protection and deliverance from evil, and to promote health, prosperity, welfare, and well-being. The selected discourses for recital are known as 'paritta suttas', discourses for protection. But they are not 'rakshana mantras' or protective incantations found in Brahmanic religion, nor are they magical rites. There is nothing mystical in them.

'Paritta' in Pali, 'paritrana' in Sanskrit and 'pirit' (pronounced pirith) in Sinhala[3] mean principally protection. Paritta suttas describe certain suttas or discourses delivered by the Buddha and regarded as affording protection. This protection is to be obtained by reciting or listening to the paritta suttas. The practice of reciting or listening to the paritta suttas began very early in the history of Buddhism. The word paritta, in this context, was used by the Buddha, for the first time, in a discourse known as Khandha Paritta [4] in the Culla Vagga of the Vinaya Pitaka (vol. ii, p. 109), and also in the Anguttara Nikaya under the title 'Ahi (metta) Sutta' (vol. ii, p. 82). This discourse was recommended by the Buddha as guard or protection for the use of the members of the Order. The Buddha in this discourse exhorts the monks to cultivate metta or loving-kindness towards all beings.

It is certain that paritta recital produces mental well-being in those who listen to them with intelligence, and have confidence in the truth of the Buddha's words. Such mental well being can help those who are ill to recover, and can also help not only to induce the mental attitude that brings happiness but also to overcome its opposite. Originally, in India, those who listened to paritta sayings of the Buddha understood what was recited and the effect on them was correspondingly great. The Buddha himself had paritta recited to him, and he also requested others to recite paritta for his own disciples when they were ill. [5] This practice is still in vogue in Buddhist lands.

The Buddha and the Arahants (the Consummate Ones) can concentrate on the paritta suttas without the aid of another. However, when they are ill, it is easier for them to listen to what others recite, and thus focus their minds on the dhamma that the suttas contain, rather than think of the dhamma by themselves. There are occasions, as in the case of illness, which weaken the mind (in the case of worldlings), when hetero-suggestion has been found to be more effective than autosuggestion.

According to the teachings of the Buddha the mind is so closely linked with the body that mental states affect the body's health and well being. Some doctors even say there is no such thing as purely physical disease. That even so grossly "physical" a complaint as dental caries may be due to mental causes was maintained in a paper read before the American Dental Congress in 1937. The author pointed out that children living on a perfectly satisfactory diet may still suffer dental decay. In such cases, investigation generally shows that the child's life at home or at school is in some way unsatisfactory. The teeth decay because their owner is under mental strain.'[6] Unless, according to the Buddhist doctrine of kamma(Sanskrit karma), [7] these bad mental states are caused as a result of one's own acts (akusala kamma-vipaka), and are therefore unalterable, it is possible so to change these mental states as to cause mental health and physical well-being to follow thereafter.

Several factors combine to contribute towards the efficacy of paritta recitals. Paritta recital is a form of saccakiriya, i.e., an asseveration of truth. Protection results by the power of such asseveration. This means establishing oneself in the power of truth to gain one's end. At the end of the recital of each sutta, the reciters bless the listeners with the words, etena sacca vajjena sotti te hotu sabbada which means "by the power of the truth of these words may you ever be well." The saying, "the power of the dhamma or Truth protects the follower of the dhamma" (dhammo have rakkhati dhammcarin) indicates the principle behind these sutta recitals.

"The belief in the effective power to heal, or protect, of the saccakiriya, or asseveration of something quite true, is but another aspect of the work ascribed to the paritta."[8]

Several discourses of the Book of Protection describe the virtuous life. The starting point in Buddhism is sila (virtue). Standing on the firm ground of sila one should endeavor to achieve a collected mind. If it is true that virtue protects the virtuous, then a person who listens to the recital of paritta suttas intelligently, in a reflective mood, with complete confidence in the Buddha's words, uttered by one who has gained complete Enlightenment, will acquire so virtuous a state of mind as would enable him to dominate any evil influence, and to be protected from all harm.

The utterances of the compassionate Buddha are never void of love. He walked the high-ways and by-ways of India enfolding all within the aura of his love and compassion, instructing, enlightening, and gladdening the many by his teaching. The reciters of the paritta are therefore expected to do so with a heart of love and compassion wishing the listeners and others weal and happiness and protection from all harm.

Love (metta) is an active force. Every act of one who truly loves is done with the pure mind to help , to cheer and to make the paths of others more easy, more smooth and more adapted to the conquest of sorrow, the winning of the Highest Bliss.

C. A. F. Rhys Davids commenting on amity (metta) writes: "The profession of amity, according to Buddhist doctrine, was no mere matter of pretty speech. It was to accompany and express a psychic suffusion of the hostile man or beast or spirit with benign, fraternal emotion -- with metta. For strong was the conviction, from Sutta and Vinaya, to Buddhaghosa's Visuddhi Magga,[9] that "thoughts are things," that psychical action, emotional or intellectual, is capable of working like a force among forces. Europe may yet come round further to this Indian attitude."[10]

It is believed that the vibratory sounds produced by the sonorous and mellifluous recital of the paritta suttas in their Pali verses are soothing to the nerves and induce peace and calm of mind; they also bring about harmony to the physical system.

How can bad influences springing from evil beings be counteracted by recital of paritta suttas? Bad influences are the results of evil thinking. They can, therefore, be counteracted by wholesome states of mind. One sure way of inducing a wholesome state of mind is by listening and reflecting on paritta recitals with intelligence and confidence. So great is the power of concentration that by adverting whole-heartedly to the truth contained in the paritta recitals one is able to develop a wholesome state of mind.

The recital of paritta suttas can also bring material blessings in its wake through the wholesome states of mind induced by concentration and confidence in listening intelligently to the recital. According to the Buddha, right effort is a necessary factor in overcoming suffering.[11] Listening to these recitals in the proper way can also generate energy for the purpose of securing worldly progress while it also secures spiritual progress.

There is no better medicine than truth (Dhamma) for the mental and physical ills which are the causes of all suffering and misfortune. So the recital of paritta suttas in as much as they contain the dhamma, may, when they are listened to in the proper attitude, bring into being wholesome states of mind which conduce to health, material progress and spiritual progress. The effect of Pirit can also transcend distance however great.

It is true that the Buddhists consider the parittas as a never-failing, potent, and purifying force, a super-solvent. However, a question may arise whether recitals from the Book of Protection will, in every case, result in the protection and blessing sought for. In this connection the same reply given by the Venerable Nagasena to King Milinda's question why the recital of paritta does not in all cases protect one from death, is worth remembering: "Due to three causes recital of paritta may have no effect: kamma hindrances (kammavarana); hindrances from defilements(kilesavarana); lack of faith (asaddhanataya)." [12]

Kamma means action and not the result of action; therefore action can be counteracted by other action. Kamma is not something static, but is always changing, i.e., always in the making; that being so, action can be counteracted by other action. Hence bad actions on the part of the hearers of the recital may negative the beneficial effects of the recital.

If the mind of the hearer is contaminated with impure thoughts then also the intended beneficial effects of the recital may not materialize. But however impure the mind of the hearer may be if there is great confidence in the efficacy of the recital then this important factor may help to secure for him the beneficial effects of the recital.

1. For the physical basis of resistance, see The Nature of Disease by J. E. R. McDonagh, F.R.C.S. [Go back]

2. Aldous Huxley. Ends and Means (London, 1946), p. 259. [Go back]

3. The state language of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). [Go back]

4. See below, discourse no. 5. [Go back]

5. See below Bojjhanga and Girimananda suttas, numbers 12, 13, 14 and 15. [Go back]

6. Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means, London 1946, p. 259. [Go back]

7. Karma in Buddhism means action brought about by volition. [Go back]

8. C. A. F. Rhys Davids, Dialogues of the Buddha, part 3, p. 186. [Go back]

9. Chapter ix. p. 313. According to the Sasamalankara quoted in Gray's Buddhaghosuppatti, p.15, Buddhaghosa was about to write a Commentary on the Paritta, when he was sent to greater work in Ceylon. [Go back]

10. Dialogues of the Buddha, part 3, p. 185. [Go back]

11. S. i. 214. [Go back]

12. Milinda Pañha, vol. I., p. 216. [Go back]

This collection of paritta discourses, in Sinhala, The Pirit Potha is the most widely known Pali book in Sri Lanka. It is called The Buddhist Bible; it is given an important place in the Buddhist home, and is even treated with veneration. In most houses where there is a small shrine, this book is kept there so that the inmates may refer to it during their devotional hour. Some have committed to memory the three well known discourses --Mangala, Ratana and Karaniya-metta suttas. [1] Even children are familiar with these discourses; for they learn them from their parents and elders or from the "dhamma school."

The habit of listening to the recital of paritta suttas among the Westerners is growing slowly but steadily. The present writer, while on his missions in the European and American countries, has, at request of several residents there, tape-recorded the recital of paritta suttas for their benefit, and has air-mailed cassettes containing the sutta recitals to those who sent him such cassettes.

Now what does this book contain? It is a collection of twenty four suttas or discourses almost all delivered by the Buddha, and found scattered in the five original collections (nikayas) in Pali, which form the Sutta Pitaka, the "Canonical Discourses." These discourses are preceded by an enunciation of the Three Refuges; the Ten Precepts and the questions asked of a novice.

This collection of discourses, popularly known as Pirit Potha or The Book of Protection, has a less known title, Catubhanavara (in Sinhala Satara Banavara). A 13^th century Commentary to this, written in Pali, by a pupil of the Venerable Rajaguru Vanaratana of Sri Lanka, is available under the title Catubhanavara Atthakatha or Sarattha Samuccaya.

What is a bhanavara? It is a collection of sermons or discourses. Four such collections are called Catubhanavara. As the teachers of old have said, a three-word line (pada) is made up of eight syllables (attha akkhara), four such padas make a stanza or a gatha. Thus stanzas consists of thirty-two syllables. 250 such stanzas is called a bhanavara which consists of 8,000 syllables. The Catunabhanavara was compiled by the Maha Theras, the teachers of yore (paranakacariya), of Sri Lanka, and today it is known among the Buddhists of Sri Lanka as the Pirit Potha The Book of Protection.

It is customary for Buddhist monks, when they are invited to the homes of the laity on occasions of domestic importance, such as birth days, house-warming, illness, and similar events, to recite the three popular discourses mentioned above. In the domestic and social life of the people of Sri Lanka pirit ceremony is of great significance. No festival or function, religious or social, is complete without the recital of the paritta. On special occasions monks are invited to recite the paritta suttas not for short periods but right through the night or for three or seven days, and at times, for weeks. On such occasions a pavilion (pirit mandapaya) is constructed for the purpose of accommodating the monks at the recital. Before the commencement of the recital the laity present at the ceremony makes a formal invitation to the monks by reciting in Pali three stanzas which explain the purpose of the recital.[2] Then the monks, generally about twelve or fourteen, who have been invited, will recite the three popular suttas. Thereafter a pair of monks will commence reciting the remaining suttas for two hours. They will then retire and will be followed by another pair for another two hours. Two monks must be constantly officiating. In this manner the recital will last till dawn.

While the recital continues there will be found a pot of water placed on a table before the monks. On this table there is also a sacred thread (pirit nula). For an all night pirit ceremony the casket containing a relic of the Buddha, and the Pirit Potha or The Book of Protection written on ola leaves, are also brought into the pavilion. The relic represents the Buddha, the "Pirit Potha" represents the Dhamma or the teachings of the Buddha, and the reciting Bhikkhu-Sangha represent the Ariya-Sangha, the Arahant disciples of the Buddha.

The thread is drawn round the interior of the pavilion, and its end twisted round the casket, the neck of the pot of water, and tied to the cord of the ola-leaf book. While the special discourses are being recited the monks hold the thread. The purpose is to maintain an unbroken communication from the water to the relic, to the Pirit Potha and to the officiating monks, (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, the Ti-ratana, the three jewels.) A ball of thread connected to "The Three Jewels" and the water, is unloosened and passed on to the listeners (seated on the ground on mats), who hold the thread while the recital goes on.

When the recital in Pali of the entire book is over at dawn, the thread sanctified by the recital is divided into pieces and distributed among the devotees to be tied round their wrists or necks. At the same time the sanctified water is sprinkled on all, who even drink a little of it and sprinkle it on their heads. These are to be regarded as symbols of the protective power of the paritta that was recited. It is a service of inducing blessings. It has its psychological effects.

Dr. Bernard Grad of McGill University in Montreal painstakingly proved that if a psychic healer held water in a flask and this water was later poured on barley seeds, the plants significantly outgrew untreated seeds. But -- and this is the intriguing part -- if depressed psychiatric patients held the flasks of water, the growth of seeds was retarded.

'Dr. Grad suggests, that there appeared to be some "x factor" or energy that flows from the human body to affect growth of plants and animals. A person's mood affected this energy. This previously unacknowledged "energy" has the widest implications for medical science, from healing to lab tests, Grad says.'[3]

As experimentally discovered by Dr. Grad mind can influence matter. If that be so, not much thinking is necessary to draw the logical inference that mind can influence mind. Further if the human mind can influence lower animals, then by a parity of reasoning the human mind can influence the minds of beings higher than animals.

1. See below nos. 2, 3, 4. [Go back]

2. See Invitation (aradhana) below. [Go back]

3. Psychic Dicoveries Behind the Iron Curtain, Sheila Ostrander & Lynn Schroeder, Bantam Books, U.S.A., p. 224; also read chapter on "Healing with Thought," p. 293. [Go back]

Vipatti patibahaya -sabba sampatti siddhiya
Sabba dukkha vinasaya -- parittam bratha mangalam
Vipatti patibahaya -sabba sampatti siddhiya
Sabba bhhya vinasaya -- parittam bratha mangalam
Vipatti patibahaya -sabba sampatti siddhiya
Sabba roga vinasaya -- parittam bratha mangalam

That from misfortune I may be free
That all good luck should come to me
And also from anguish to be free
Chant "THE PROTECTION" I invite thee.

That from misfortune I may be free
That all good luck should come to me
Also from all fear to be free
Chant "THE PROTECTION" I invite thee.[1]

That from misfortune I may be free
That all good luck should come to me
And also from sickness to be free
Chant "THE PROTECTION" I invite thee.

1. See above section on The Book of Protection. [Go back]

Buddham saranam gacchami
Dhammam saranam gacchami
Sangham saranam gacchami

Dutiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami
Dutiyampi Dhammam saranam gacchami
Dutiyampi Sangham saranam gacchami

Tatiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami
Tatiyampi Dhammam saranam gacchami
Tatiyampi Sangham saranam gacchami

I go for refuge to the Buddha (Teacher)
I go for refuge to the Dhamma (the Teaching)
I go for refuge to the Sangha (the Taught)

For the second time I go for refuge to the Buddha
For the second time I go for refuge to the Dhamma
For the second time I go for refuge to the Sangha

For the third time I go for refuge to the Buddha
For the third time I go for refuge to the Dhamma
For the third time I go for refuge to the Sangha

1. Vin. I, 22 (cf. M. i. 24); Khp. No. 1. [Go back]

1. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from killing.
2. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from stealing.
3. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct.
4. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from lying.
5. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from liquor that causes intoxication and heedlessness.
6. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from untimely eating.
7. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from dancing, singing, music, and visiting unseemly shows.
8. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from the use of garlands, perfumes, cosmetics, and embellishments.
9. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from the use of high and luxurious beds.
10. I undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from accepting gold and silver.

1. Khp. No. 2; cf. Vin. I, 83-84; Vbh. 285 ff. [Go back]

One is what? All beings subsist on food.[2]
Two is what? Name and form (mind and matter).
Three is what? Three kinds of feeling.
Four is what? Four Noble Truths.
Five is what? Five aggregates subject to grasping.
Six is what? Internal six-fold base.
Seven is what? Seven Factors of Enlightenment.
Eight is what? The Noble Eightfold Path.
Nine is what? Nine abodes of beings.
Ten is what? He that is endowed with ten attributes is called an Arahant.

The novice referred to here is the seven-year old Sopaka. He was questioned by the Buddha. It is not a matter for surprise that a child of such tender years can give profound answers to these questions. One has heard of infant prodigies.[3]

1. Also known as 'Kumaro Pañha', Questions to be answered by the Young One. Khp. No. 4; cf. A. v. 50 ff; 55 ff. [Go back]

2. See notes at the end of the book. [Go back]

3. Vide Encyclopaedia Britannica. Inc., 1955, II. p. 389. Also read The Case for Rebirth, Francis Story, Wheel 12-13, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka. [Go back]

There are in this body head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, intestinal tract, stomach, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, nasal mucus, synovium (oil lubricating the joints), urine, and brain in the skull.

1. Khp. No. 3; cf. D. ii, 293; M. I, 57; iii, 90. Also see below Girimananda sutta 15. [Go back]

1. Wisely reflecting do I wear the robe, only in order to protect myself from cold, heat, gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, and sun and from snakes; and also as a constant covering for my modesty.

2. Wisely reflecting I will partake of food not for pleasure of it, not for the pride (resulting from physical strength obtainable), not for adornment, not for beautifying the body, but merely to maintain this body, to still the hunger, and to enable the practice of the holy life; also to resist the pangs of hunger (due to previous want of food), and to resist the pain (resulting from excess of food). Thus will my life be maintained free from wrong doing and free from discomfort.

3. Wisely reflecting I will make use of lodgings only in order to rotect myself from cold and heat, from gadflies and mosquitoes; from wind and sun, from snakes, and also as a constant protection against the rigours of climate, and in order to realize that ardent desire for seclusion (which begets mental concentration).

4. Wisely reflecting I will make use of medicine only as an aid to eliminate bodily pains that have arisen, and also to maintain that important condition, freedom from disease.

1. M. i. p. 10; cf. A. ii. 40; M. 53. [Go back]

Thus have I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Savatthi at Jetavana at the monastery of Anathapindika.