Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 71Masturbation

Explanation of the Talaghātaka Sutta (Pācittiya 71)

Background

Pācittiya 71, recorded in the Theravāda Vinaya tradition, is a rule related to the training of bhikkhus. The Pācittiya section, the rules requiring confession, is the second part of the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha and defines offenses that require formal confession within the Sangha.

This sutta appears in the historical context in which the Buddha and his disciples lived focused on disciplinary practice and training the mind. These rules were established not to punish, but to protect diligence in practice and maintain purity in the Sangha. The term “Talaghātaka” (from Pāli tala = palm, ghāta = striking/touching) denotes a disciplinary offense connected with misusing the body in a way contrary to the purpose of practice.

Main Content

According to the Pāli Canon tradition, Pācittiya 71 states that any bhikkhu who uses the hand or implements to harm or violate his own body in a manner not intended for healing or practice commits a pācittiya offense. This act is regarded as an infringement of the respect for the body and the mental concentration (samādhi) that a practitioner should maintain.

This rule arose from specific situations in the early Sangha, where some bhikkhus performed acts of self-harm under improper motives. The Buddha saw that such conduct was contrary to the principle of “non-harming” (ahiṃsā) and weakened the mental strength needed to practice the Noble Eightfold Path (ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo). Pācittiya rules are not the gravest offenses, but they require a bhikkhu to confess publicly before the Sangha and repent during the communal observance (uposatha).

Practical Meaning

The deeper meaning of Pācittiya 71 lies in the principle that the body of a practitioner is not an instrument for impulsive acts or actions without a purpose in practice.