Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 33Seeing a Mobilized Army
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uyyuttasenā
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SUTRA ON SEEING A MOBILIZED ARMY (Uyyuttasenā Pārivatta)
Background
Uyyuttasenā is a training rule belonging to the Pātimokkha, the list of 227 disciplinary rules for bhikkhus in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. This sutra belongs to the Pācittiya section, rules concerning offenses that require confession and correction.
The historical background of the original sutra is usually connected to a specific event: a certain bhikkhu saw a fully mobilized army, with soldiers, horses, and war elephants fully equipped. This act was regarded as a form of participation in worldly affairs related to violence and conflict, something not in accord with the renunciant attitude and ideal of practice of a bhikkhu. The Buddha therefore established this rule to prevent bhikkhus from taking part in military activities or events related to organized violence.
Main Content
The Uyyuttasenā rule prescribes that if a bhikkhu deliberately looks at, admires, or watches a fully mobilized army (uyyuttasenā), including soldiers, war elephants, war horses, and other military equipment, he commits a Pācittiya. This is a blameworthy offense, not a grave offense such as Pārājika or Saṅghādisesa, but it still requires sincere confession before other bhikkhus.
The reason for establishing this rule is clear: one who has gone forth in search of inner peace and has abandoned worldly life should not participate in activities connected with war, slaughter, and violence. Admiring a mobilized army is not merely satisfying worldly curiosity; it may also stimulate thoughts about power, enjoyment of violent sights, or associations with things the Buddhas advise us to avoid.
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