Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 69Not Bury Corpse in Stupa

The Sutra on Not Burying a Corpse in a Stupa

Context

This sutra is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, reflecting regulations concerning the management of bodies and religious structures in the Sangha community of early Buddhism. The context arose when the Buddha's disciples faced events related to handling corpses and constructing stupas to contain ashes (stupa).

In ancient Indian society, a stupa was a sacred religious structure, built to cover sacred materials or the ashes of noble teachers. However, when there was a request to bury an intact body inside a stupa, the Buddha and the elders of the order saw that this was not in accord with the religious purpose of such structures, and would also cause difficulties for the maintenance and later use of the stupa.

Main Content

The sutra stipulates that a human body (especially that of a person who died of illness or an ordinary person) should not be buried directly inside the structure of a stupa. This rule arises from the need to distinguish clearly between stupa structures - intended to honor noble spiritual friends or preserve sacred scriptural materials - and the ordinary handling of bodies in the community.

Instead, the sutra instructs that corpses should be handled in other ways: either by cremation (dohohana) so that they become ashes, or by burial in other places reserved for this purpose. If they are the ashes of venerable elders, a separate stupa may be built. This not only protects the sanctity of existing stupas, but also conforms to the principle of "non-harming" (avihiṁsā) in the management of communal property and religious space.

This regulation also reflects practical concerns about hygiene and the durability of the structure: burying a body in a stupa may lead to structural damage, foul odors, and pollution of the religious building.