Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 137Disposing Feces on Plants

The Sutta on Disposing of Feces on Plants

(Harituccārachaḍḍana - Vinaya Piṭaka)

Background

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Pātimokkha Saṁvara, the basic rules that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe. It is not a preaching discourse, but a detailed disciplinary rule, reflecting the concern of the Buddha and the Sangha for the actions of daily life, especially matters related to the shared living environment.

The background of this rule is connected with a specific event in the Sangha. Some bhikkhus discharged feces or urine, or defecated, on plants and grasses, places inhabited by many small beings. This action caused discomfort, defiled the environment, and went against the spirit of compassion (mettā) in Buddhism, the mind that does not wish to harm any living being. For this reason, the Buddha laid down a rule to correct this wrongful conduct.

Main Content

The Harituccārachaḍḍana rule states that a bhikkhu is not permitted to dispose of feces on plants and grasses (harituccāra, meaning “green grass” or “living vegetation”). This is considered one of the Pācittiya rules, training rules requiring confession; in Pāli, pācittiya means “requiring confession.” Violating this rule is not a grave offense such as Pārājika, which entails expulsion, but it requires confession before the Sangha or before a fellow bhikkhu.

The reason for the rule is clear: plants and grasses are the dwelling places of countless beings, from insects to microorganisms. When one disposes of feces on them, the practitioner not only defiles those places but may also harm beings living among the plants and grasses. This goes against the First Precept: abstaining from taking life (pānātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi). In practice, Theravāda Buddhist monastics commit themselves to protecting life, and this rule is a concrete way of practicing that commitment.