Dhamma Principles › The Buddha Nurses a Sick Monk: Whoever Would Attend on Me Should Attend on the Sick
The Buddha Nurses a Sick Monk: Whoever Would Attend on Me Should Attend on the Sick
Everyday life

The Buddha Nurses a Sick Monk: Whoever Would Attend on Me Should Attend on the Sick

Yo bhikkhave maṃ upaṭṭhaheyya so gilānaṃ upaṭṭhaheyya

A monk sick with dysentery lay in his own urine and excrement with no one to care for him. The Buddha washed him with his own hands, then declared that whoever would attend on him should attend on the sick, set out who is responsible for nursing, and described the easy patient and the good nurse.

8 points

The Chapter on Robes (Cīvarakkhandhaka) of the Mahāvagga in the Vinaya Piṭaka tells of a monk sick with dysentery who lay fallen in his own urine and excrement. The Buddha, touring the lodgings with Ānanda as his attendant, saw him and asked what his illness was and whether anyone was nursing him. The monk said no one was, because he had not been of service to the other monks. The Buddha had Ānanda fetch water; the Buddha poured it while Ānanda washed him, and together they lifted him onto a bed.

The Buddha then assembled the Saṅgha and said: you have no mother and no father to nurse you. If you do not nurse one another, who will? Whoever would attend on me should attend on the sick. He made it a duty: a preceptor, teacher, pupil or fellow student must nurse the sick monk for life or until he recovers; if there is no one, the Saṅgha must nurse him, and neglecting this is an offence of wrongdoing (dukkaṭa). He also set out five qualities that make a patient easy or hard to nurse, and five that make someone fit or unfit to nurse the sick. (A similar set appears in the Aṅguttara Nikāya.)

The next passage tells that when a sick monk died, the Buddha allowed the Saṅgha to give the dead monk's bowl and robes to those who nursed him, because those who nurse the sick are of great help. The offence applies only to monks, but the heart of the story applies to everyone.

  1. 1

    Seeing, then going over to ask Kinte bhikkhu ābādho

    When the Buddha saw the monk lying in his own filth, he did not walk past. He went up to him and asked what his illness was and whether anyone was nursing him.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you notice someone has been missing for several days, message them and ask directly how they are and whether anyone is helping them.

  2. 2

    The one who never helped was left alone Bhikkhūnaṃ akārako

    The sick monk said no one nursed him because he had not been of service to the monks. When the Buddha asked the other monks, they gave the same reason. Help in the community had become a matter of repaying favours, and whoever had done no favours fell through the cracks.

    Applying it in daily life

    Look around your workplace, family or community: is anyone going without help just because they rarely help others or keep to themselves?

  3. 3

    Doing it himself, without disgust Imaṃ bhikkhuṃ nahāpessāma

    The Buddha had Ānanda fetch water; he poured it and Ānanda washed. The Buddha lifted the head and Ānanda the feet, and they laid the monk on a bed. The Teacher did not just tell others to do it; he himself did work most people find repulsive.

    Applying it in daily life

    When caring for a sick or elderly person at home, the unpleasant tasks, like cleaning their body, are the most direct expression of kindness, not lowly work.

  4. 4

    If you don't care for one another, who will? Tumhe ce bhikkhave aññamaññaṃ na upaṭṭhahissatha

    The Buddha assembled the Saṅgha and said: you have no mother and no father to nurse you. If you do not nurse one another, who will? Those who have left home to live together must become each other's family.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you study or work far from home and live alone, agree with nearby friends in advance on whom to contact and how to help if one of you falls seriously ill.

  5. 5

    Caring for the sick is attending on the Buddha Yo bhikkhave maṃ upaṭṭhaheyya so gilānaṃ upaṭṭhaheyya

    He said: whoever would attend on me should attend on the sick. He did not want service for himself alone; he pointed out that caring for the weakest in the community is the true way of attending on him.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you want to make merit, give some time or money to caring for the sick, such as visiting a bedridden patient or helping with someone's medical costs.

  6. 6

    Clear responsibility for care Saṅghena upaṭṭhātabbo

    He set an order: if there is a preceptor, teacher, pupil, or fellow student under the same preceptor or teacher, that person should nurse the sick monk for life or until he recovers. If there is no one, the Saṅgha must nurse him; failing to do so is an offence of wrongdoing. Compassion is backed by a system rather than left to goodwill alone.

    Applying it in daily life

    In a household with a sick or elderly member, agree clearly on who is responsible for what, and who steps in when the main carer is unavailable, instead of assuming someone will do it.

  7. 7

    The patient who is easy to nurse Gilāno sūpaṭṭhāko

    A patient easy to nurse has five qualities: does what is beneficial for the condition, knows moderation in it, takes medicine, reports symptoms truthfully to a well-meaning nurse (whether worsening, improving or unchanged), and can endure strong painful feelings. A patient with the opposite qualities is hard to nurse.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you are the patient, tell your doctor and carers your symptoms truthfully, without hiding or exaggerating, and follow the treatment advice. This is how you help those who look after you.

  8. 8

    The good nurse, and the worth of carers Mettacitto gilānaṃ upaṭṭheti no āmisantaro

    One fit to nurse the sick has five qualities: can prepare medicine, knows what is suitable and unsuitable, nurses out of kindness rather than hope of reward, is not disgusted to remove excrement, urine, saliva or vomit, and can encourage the patient with talk on the Dhamma from time to time. Later, when a sick monk died, the Buddha allowed the Saṅgha to give his bowl and robes to those who had nursed him, because those who nurse the sick are of great help.

    Applying it in daily life

    Besides physical care, spend time encouraging the patient, and remember to thank and repay those who care for the sick in your home.

Try it in daily life

This story points to a gap that can open in any group: people who seldom help others are often left alone when they fall ill. The Buddha did not first ask whether the man deserved care. He cared for him at once, then set up a system so it would not happen again.

Today, an elderly person living alone, a colleague with a chronic illness, or a neighbour who rarely talks to anyone is the modern "sick monk with no nurse". The short question "Is anyone looking after you?" can be an important beginning.

Caregivers need care too. Nursing someone is hard work. If you feel exhausted or too stressed to cope, ask for help from family, the community or health professionals; you don't have to carry it alone.

Sign in to keep track of what you have read

Sources in the Tipiṭaka

Tap to read the actual passage on the page cited.

Other principles worth reading

Log in to earn 40 merit points for reading this page