Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 11Damaging Plants
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhūtagāma
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
BHŪTAGĀMA SUTTA: AVOIDING THE DESTRUCTION OF LIVING THINGS
Background
The Bhūtagāma Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition and is found in the Pācittiya section—the disciplinary rules requiring confession and repentance when violated. This sutta was recorded in the context of the Buddha Śākyamuni instructing the Sangha on how to behave toward living beings and the natural environment.
According to the Pāli Canon tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled from actual events and the rules that arose from them. The Bhūtagāma Sutta reflects the aim of protecting life in all forms—a core principle of Buddhism from its earliest period. “Bhūta” means living being, and “gāma” means harming or injuring. Thus, this sutta focuses on forbidding actions that directly or indirectly harm living beings.
Main Content
The Bhūtagāma Sutta states that a monastic must not intentionally harm living beings, especially through actions such as pulling up grass, cutting trees, or using fire, water, or chemicals that harm animals or plants. This arises from the first of the Five Precepts—“refraining from taking life” (Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī).
However, the Vinaya Piṭaka clearly distinguishes intentional action (cetanā) from unintentional action. If a monastic accidentally steps on an insect without knowing it, that is not a serious violation like intentionally causing harm. The sutta emphasizes the importance of “intention” (cetasikā) in determining the nature of an action.
The sutta also regulates the use of water. A monastic must not pour out water while knowing that living beings are in it, because doing so is equivalent to indirect killing. Similarly, one must not destroy trees or the dwelling places of living beings without a valid reason.
Practical Meaning
The Bhūtagāma Sutta is not merely a set of formal rules, but a concrete expression of loving-kindness and compassion (Mettā Karuṇā)—unconditional benevolence and mercy. It teaches that Buddhist practice is not limited to the human body, but extends to the whole natural world.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.