Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Sk 24Laughing Loudly
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ujjagghika
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THE LOUD LAUGHTER SUTTA (UJJAGGHIKA SUTTA)
Background
The Loud Laughter Sutta (Ujjagghika) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition and is recorded among the rules of practice for the Sangha (Vinaya Piṭaka). Discourses on personal conduct in the Vinaya Piṭaka do not merely prescribe restrictions, but also reflect real situations that the Buddha and his disciples encountered in the course of collective practice.
Situations in the Vinaya Piṭaka often arose from the actions of bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs when they did not yet clearly understand the principles of practice or violated the conditions of sense restraint (indriya samvara). The Loud Laughter Sutta records a case involving loud laughter in the monastic community, an action that may seem simple but contains profound implications concerning the mind and inner discipline.
During this period, the Buddha was establishing rules of conduct so that bhikkhus could cultivate important virtues such as awareness (sampajaññā), moderation (avantita), and harmonious cooperation (samaggi) in the community.
Main Content
The discourse recounts an event in which a certain bhikkhu laughed loudly (ujjagghati) at inappropriate times: during a communal gathering, during a period of Dharma study, or while fellow monastics were focused on practice. This loud laughter distracted the minds of others and disturbed the collective power of concentration in practice.
When the Buddha learned of this, he pointed out that loud laughter is unsuitable for the life of one gone forth, one who has left the household life in search of the path. Laughter, though a natural phenomenon, when uncontrolled and too loud, reflects a mind that is not concentrated (samādhi), lacks heedfulness (appamaṭṭa), and violates the principle of moderation (avantita).
The Vinaya Piṭaka then records a rule (pātimokkha) related to this: laughing too loudly is regarded as an unsuitable action, especially in a communal context, and must be corrected through self-awareness and practice.
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