Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 19Laughing Loudly
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ujjagghika
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Commentary on the Ujjagghika Sutta (Laughing Loudly)
Background
The Ujjagghika Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, within the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga (the section of the Vinaya pertaining to bhikkhunīs). This is a vinaya text concerning the regulation of conduct among female monastics within the Saṅgha community. The context in which this text arises relates to rules of comportment in monastic life, particularly those behaviors that may exert a negative influence upon the reputation and dignity of the Saṅgha.
The word "Ujjagghika" may be understood as "laughing loudly" or "laughing boisterously" (ujja- meaning great or manifest; -gghika relating to laughter or merriment). This text records either an offense (pārājika or pācittiya) committed by a female monastic, or a specific situation in monastic life that the Blessed One employed to exhort his disciples to return to mindfulness and discipline.
Principal Content
This text is understood in the Theravāda tradition as a vinaya rule pertaining to conduct, especially in social situations within the monastery. The behavior of "laughing loudly" (ujjagghika) is examined in the context of transgressions or actions incompatible with the duties of one who has gone forth into the monastic life. Laughing loudly, or laughing in a manner lacking in dignity, may be regarded as a sign of the loss of mindfulness or of disrespect toward the training and the Dhamma.
Within the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, such actions are customarily recorded in order to educate bhikkhunīs regarding the necessity of mindfulness (sati) in each activity of daily life. The Vinaya Piṭaka does not merely restrain unwholesome conduct; it also educates monastics in proper comportment, in the ways of preserving the image and integrity of the Saṅgha, and in the ways of expressing reverence toward the Dhamma.
This rule may constitute a pācittiya — a lesser offense requiring confession and further instruction — or may belong to the category of sekhiya rules, which are rules of training. Its purpose is to remind female monastics that their body, speech, and mind must at all times be governed by clear understanding of the Dhamma and by recognition of the benefits of the monastic life.
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