Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 56Na kaṁbhākṛtasya

Discourse on Na kaṁbhākṛtasya

Background

The Na kaṁbhākṛtasya discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, where the rules of training and discipline for the monastic community are recorded. This discourse reflects specific situations encountered by bhikkhus, from which the Buddha issued instructions to protect the spirit of training and maintain harmony in the Sangha.

The title “Na kaṁbhākṛtasya,” roughly translated as “not from within my belly,” points to things not created or arising from one’s own intention. This is a legal case concerning personal responsibility and the distinction between intentional and unintentional action, a matter of great importance in determining the nature of a violation of Sangha law.

Main Content

This discourse commonly records an event in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī is accused of a violation, but the accused denies it by saying that the act was not caused by their own thought. They may say, “It was not from my mind,” meaning that there was no deliberate intention to bring about the offense.

Intention (cetanā) is an important factor in the Dharma. According to the teaching on the mind (Citta-khanda), action is evaluated by the intention present at the time it is performed, not merely by the outward act. For this reason, the Buddha always clearly distinguishes between:

First, intentional violations, when a practitioner knows clearly that the act violates the rules and still performs it.

Second, unintentional mistakes, when a practitioner has no intention to violate the rule, but due to circumstances, negligence, or accident brings about that result.

In such cases, the Buddha or the elder Dharma teachers would ask clearly: Did that person know it was a violation? Did they intend to cause that action? From there, the degree of discipline would be adjusted appropriately.

Practical Meaning

The Na kaṁbhākṛtasya discourse teaches us a profound lesson about sincerity and transparency in practice.