The Thera Maha Kassapa and the Thirteen Ascetic Practices

The Thera Maha Kassapa spent his monkhood cherishing all the thirteen ascetic practices
and he urged his companion monks to follow his suit as well.
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In consequence, the
Buddha awarded him with the title of the Foremost Monk in these Ascetic ractices.
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Indeed, the closer we look at the wa" the Thera followed these thirteen practices strictl"
and painstakingl" throughout his life, the more admiration and the more respect we feel
for him.
The #ascetic practice$ is originall" called %hutanga in ali, which means an" practice &"
which one can destro" or get rid of such defilements as greed, hate and ignorance. The
defilements can worr", trou&le and impurif" the minds of &eings.
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The Buddha allowed thirteen ascetic practices for those who ha(e strong determination to
discard e(er" worldl" pleasure which will &ring forth these defilements and who lack an"
care for their own life )ust to attain *i&&ana. The following are the mentioned ascetic
practices+
,
1. ansukulikanga
!. Teci(arikanga
'. indapatikanga
,. -apadanacarikanga
.. /kasanikanga
0. attapandikanga
1. Khalupacca&hattikanga
2. Arannikanga
3. 4ukkhmulikanga
15. A&&hokasikanga
11. -osanikanga
1!. 6athasantikanga
1'. *esa))ikanga
The term #dhutanga$ is deri(ed from #dhuta$ and #anga$, where the former refers to a
&hikkhu who rids himself of defilements and the latter means #the cause or the means$.
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A*.A.I.1!1
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A..I.!'
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*ett.A.'5, A&h.A.I..2, %*.A.I.!, M*.A.I.!, -*.A.I.!, A*.A.12!, K(7mt.I.'3
,
-n.A.!.!11, Thag.A.!.'!', 8ism.I..1, Miln.',5
The &hikkhu gets rid of such defilements as lust, etc., &" means of the samadhana cetana
9(olitional determination:, that is, &" means of the a&o(e dhutangas 9the ascetic
practices:. An" of the a&o(e7mentioned ascetic practices is, therefore, characteri;ed &"
the following qualities.
as its nature, the (olitional determination
as its function, the potentialit" of killing the lustful desire which inhi&its the wholesome
mind
as its causal nature,