Lzh Mg Bi Vb Pc 10Annoyance
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vilekhana
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The Vilekhana Sutta (The Sutta on Vexing)
Background
Vilekhana, rendered provisionally as "rubbing" or "causing annoyance," is a training rule belonging to the Pācittiya (offense requiring confession and expiation) within the Vinaya Piṭaka—the Book of Discipline of Theravāda Buddhism. This text falls within the section governing detailed conduct for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis who have been ordained and have committed themselves to living in accordance with the principles of purity.
The story originates from an event during the time when the Buddha was still present in the world. The disciples of the Blessed One, in the course of their practice at monasteries or in communal life, would at times engage in subtle actions—whether inadvertent or intentional—that caused annoyance, discomfort, or embarrassment to others. The Buddha and the senior elders recognized the need to establish clear guidelines in order to maintain harmony, mutual respect, and the protection of the dignity of each member of the Saṅgha.
Main Content
Vilekhana prescribes that a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni should not engage in rubbing, prodding, or any action that is deliberately intended to vex, offend, or cause loss of face to another. More specifically, such conduct may include even the smallest gestures carried out with intent—such as rubbing against another person's body in an insinuating manner, or other subtle actions that have the effect of making that person feel offended or irritated.
This training rule distinguishes between unintentional and intentional action. If a monastics inadvertently causes annoyance without any ill intent, that does not constitute an offense. However, if there is intent to vex—whether in jest or as a means of punishing someone—then this constitutes a Pācittiya offense, requiring the offender to confess and seek expiation before the community of bhikkhus.
This reflects a core principle of the Vinaya: to safeguard respect, courtesy, and harmony within the Saṅgha. However minor the actions may be, if they are performed with the intention of causing annoyance, they nonetheless create fractures within the practicing community.
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