Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 60Not Sleep in Stupa

The Sutra Prohibiting Sleeping in a Stupa

Context

This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhadharma tradition, where the rules of practice and communal discipline of the Sangha are recorded. In the early period after the Buddha's nirvana, the Sangha had to learn the precepts in order to protect the life of practice and maintain the purity of the community.

This sutra arose in the context of bhikkhus engaging in unsuitable conduct at stupas - places regarded as sacred sites, places where the Buddhadharma and holy relics are enshrined. A stupa is not only a religious architectural structure, but also a symbol of reverence toward the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and a sacred place of practice for practitioners. Therefore, undignified conduct in such places is considered a violation of the ethics of practice and the rites of reverence.

Main Content

The sutra forbids bhikkhus from lying down and sleeping in stupas, as well as in places where relics are worshiped (stūpa - a stupa, a place for enshrining ashes or sacred relics of the Buddha or of bodhisattvas and arhats). This prohibition is not arbitrary, but arises from a deep understanding of the sacred nature of and respect due to holy spaces.

Sleeping in a stupa is regarded as disrespectful for several reasons. First, sleep is considered a lowly state, in which the mind is darkened and awareness is less clear - unsuitable for a sacred space. Second, the stupa is a place that preserves sacred relics, and lying down to sleep there is considered lacking in devotion. Third, this is an expression of protecting the sanctity of the Sangha's pure grounds (the monastic domain of practice) from undignified actions.

This rule is part of the Pātimokkha, the basic body of precepts to be maintained by bhikkhus. Those who violate it must undergo forms of discipline or admonition according to the spirit of the Sangha - the collective community of practice.