Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 138Raising Other’s Children
Pāli / Sanskrit:Raising other’s children
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Commentary on the Scripture “Raising Other People’s Children”
(Raising Other’s Children)
Background
This scripture is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon and reflects specific regulations concerning the life of monks and nuns in the early Buddhist community. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a collection of doctrinal sermons, but the monastic code (Pratimokṣa/Pātimokkha) that preserves the discipline and ethics of the noble Sangha. These regulations arose from specific situations that occurred in the monastic community, and the Buddha gradually guided his disciples concerning what actions were appropriate and harmonious with the spirit of liberation.
In the social context of ancient India, those who went forth as monastics had to observe commitments that protected their resolve for training. The issue of “raising other people’s children” is directly related to communal life and the concentration of the mind upon practicing the Buddha-Dharma.
Main Content
The scripture regulates the matter of monastics raising children who are not their own. This was a practical issue, because in monasteries orphaned children or children of devotees were often left behind to learn the Buddha-Dharma or to help with work at the monastery.
The rule states that monastics should not actively raise such children in an overly private or emotionally intimate way, because this may lead to distraction from the primary purpose of monastic practice: mindfulness of the Dharma, meditation, and cultivation of the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariyamagga). In addition, becoming too deeply attached to children may create complications in relationships within the monastic community, or lead to inappropriate actions.
However, the scripture also does not completely forbid caring for children when necessary. What matters is balance: caring for them with immeasurable loving-kindness (mettā), but not allowing personal affection to obscure mindfulness or interrupt the practice of the Dharma.
Practical Meaning
This scripture teaches the principle of the Middle Way (Majjhimā Paṭipadā) in Theravāda Buddhism.
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