Lzh Mg Bi Pm Ss 1Matchmaking
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sañcaritta
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The Sañcaritta Sutta: On Giving the Mind Over to Romantic Feeling
Background
The Sañcaritta Sutta (Searching out, Giving the mind over to romantic feeling) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, within the section governing the conduct of monks and nuns. Its content relates directly to the rules of practice and communal ethics of the Saṅgha.
The Vinaya Piṭaka was established by the Buddha on the basis of actual situations that arose within the early monastic community. Each training rule (sikkhāpada) is not an immovable imposed command, but rather guidance to help monks and nuns practice in accordance with the Dhamma, avoiding conduct harmful to the purity of mind (sīla) and to communal harmony. The Sañcaritta Sutta stands within this context, addressing the matter of why those who have gone forth into the homeless life should avoid conduct related to romantic attachment — those things that lead to infatuation and defilement.
Main Content
Sañcaritta in Pāli means "searching out, giving the mind over to," or "the pursuit of romantic feeling." This sutta deals with the question of subtle conduct involving approach, contact, or gestures that readily lead to emotional attachment between men and women, or other forms of entanglement of the heart.
The rule prescribes that monks should avoid activities aimed at searching out or courting (itthisaṅgaha). This is not because affection or love for others is inherently wrong, but because those who have relinquished household life and gone forth have committed themselves to leaving behind those conditions that disturb and agitate the mind. Sañcaritta addresses specifically those actions of "seeking" (anuyoga) — the subtle efforts to display one's appearance, to attract attention, or to nurture longing for a personal relationship.
The foundational principle is the Dhamma. Monks should conduct themselves with full mindfulness, understanding that the human mind is capable of being carried along by currents of desire. The monastic rule, therefore, is not intended to cause those in training to feel guilt, but to protect the clarity of the path of practice and the stillness of the mind.
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