Lzh Mi Bu Pm Sk 32Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma

Exposition of the Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma Sutta

Background

The Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, the rules governing morality and discipline in the Sangha. The Vinaya Pitaka records lessons on the practice of monks and nuns, taught directly by the Buddha Gotama when he observed unsuitable actions within the community. This text is specifically related to regulations concerning bodily and verbal actions, intended to protect the purity and autonomy of the Sangha.

In its historical context, these rules were established to ensure that monastics lived according to the highest ethical standards. This not only helps monastics progress on the path to liberation, but also builds the confidence of the Buddhist community and ordinary people in the Sangha.

Main Content

The title Na pāṇau hanum niṣatsyāma carries a profound meaning concerning the restraint of bodily and mental actions. The words “na” (not), “pāṇau” (living being), “hanum” (harm, kill), and “niṣatsyāma” (we shall sit, dwell) suggest that this is an aspiration: we shall dwell without harming living beings.

This text develops from the most basic principle of the Buddha-Dharma: non-killing (ahiṃsā). In the Vinaya Pitaka, this is extended into specific regulations: monastics must not intentionally kill any living being, from humans down to insects. This includes not using tools that may injure, not performing actions without due caution, and not using speech or thought to encourage acts of killing.

The text also makes clear that observing this principle requires sincerity and awareness. It is not compulsion or a mechanical following of rules, but the natural expression of a cultivated mind of compassion. Each monastic must understand for himself or herself the reason and meaning of the rule, and then practice it from the heart.