Lzh Mi Bu Pm Pc 47Viewing a Military Action
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uyyodhika
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THE DISCOURSE ON OBSERVING MILITARY ACTION (UYYODHIKA)
Background
The Uyyodhika discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka, in the Pācittiya section, the offenses requiring confession, and reflects one of the important ethical regulations of the early Buddhist Sangha. The background arises when the Buddha and the bhikkhus lived in a society where wars and armed conflicts frequently occurred.
The Vinaya Pitaka is not merely a set of formal rules, but an expression of the Dharma practice of renunciation and sympathetic joy (mudita), and of ahiṃsā, non-harming. This regulation arises from the practical fact that bhikkhus should not take part in or benefit from violence in any form.
Main Content
The Uyyodhika discourse stipulates that a bhikkhu should not go to see, observe, or try to witness military actions or battles between armies. The specific content of this discourse has not yet been fully translated in the descriptive information, but according to the general context of the Theravāda Vinaya Pitaka, this regulation includes the following:
A bhikkhu should not intentionally go to places where war is taking place, and should not struggle or press forward to watch a battle unfold. If a bhikkhu deliberately observes military action for the purpose of entertainment or satisfying curiosity, that is a Pācittiya offense, a fault that must be confessed before the Sangha or before a junior bhikkhu.
The deeper reason for this regulation is connected with separation from involvement in violence. A monastic, even as an observer, is still participating in an environment of violence. Even the presence and witnessing of a practitioner may be regarded as a form of indirect support, or may distract mindfulness.
Practical Meaning
The profound meaning of the Uyyodhika discourse lies in protecting the mind (citta) of the practitioner from disturbing influences.
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