Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pc 79Leaving Without Giving Consent
Pāli / Sanskrit:Chandaṁadatvāgamana
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SUTTA CHANDAṀADATVĀGAMANA
On Leaving Without Giving Consent
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of training rules that the Buddha Śākyamuni established for the Sangha, with the aim of protecting communal harmony and preserving concentration and wisdom within the community. The sutta Chandaṁadatvāgamana (Chanda = consent; Adatvā = without giving; Gamana = departure) appears in the Pācittiya section (offenses requiring confession) of the Vinaya Piṭaka, comprising violations that are relatively minor in nature yet nonetheless require correction.
This historical context reflects a specific situation within the early Sangha. Monks, whatever their motivations, would depart from the community without obtaining consent from their teacher or from the Sangha, thereby causing instability and eroding trust. This rule was not established to impose authoritarian power, but to cultivate the spirit of collective discipline and respect for harmonious order.
Main Content
According to the Pāli Canon, a monk or nun should clearly inform the presiding teacher or other senior members when departing from the monastery or the practice community, even if the absence is only for an extended period. This consent is called chanda, a term whose root denotes agreement, willing approval. If a monastic departs without giving consent (chandaṁ adatvā), that person commits a Pācittiya offense.
The nature of this violation does not lie in the act of departing or seeking personal space — Theravāda Buddhism does not prohibit such things — but rather in the lack of respect for collective discipline. When a member is absent without notification, the community is unsettled, unable to know whether this represents a departure or an accident, and thereby loses its capacity for mutual governance and care. This is an offense (pācittiya) because it violates the constructive purpose of communal life.
In the Vinaya, the giving of consent is regarded as a sign of self-restraint and a spirit of mutual support — not compliance born of fear, but an expression of genuine concern for the preservation of harmony.
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