Grammatical Analysis
Gilānappaccaya: [m.] Requisites for the sick; medical support. Formed by gilāna (sick, ill, patient) + paccaya (requisite, support, condition).
Orthodox Definition
Gilānappaccaya encompasses the fourth requisite of a monastic’s life: medical care and the materials necessary to heal illness. The full canonical phrase is gilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāra (the requisite of medicine for the sick).
The Buddha placed immense importance on caring for the sick. He famously declared, “Whoever would tend to me, let them tend to the sick” (Yo maṃ upaṭṭhaheyya so gilānaṃ upaṭṭhaheyya), after discovering a monk suffering alone from dysentery. The Vinaya allows many specific exemptions for a sick monk (gilāna), permitting them to eat certain restricted foods, skip formal Saṅgha gatherings, or receive extra robes to keep warm.
Textual References
- Vinaya: Mahāvagga (Cīvarakkhandhaka) – The story of the Buddha bathing the sick monk with dysentery and establishing the duty of monks to care for one another.
- Sutta: Aṅguttara Nikāya (Catukka Nipāta) – Listed as the final of the four essential supports.
- Commentary: Samantapāsādikā – Detailing the legal definitions of who qualifies as “sick” to receive exemptions from the rules.