Lzh Mu Bi Pm Ss 13Renouncing the Training
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa
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The Sutta on Renouncing the Training (Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa)
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Sutta Vibhaṅga section of the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha, where the basic training rules for bhikkhus are recorded. This is the foundation of the discipline for cultivation established by the Buddha Śākyamuni to maintain order in the community of those who have resolved to go forth.
The context in which this rule arose is connected with specific situations in the Sangha community. When newly ordained bhikkhus go forth, they must commit themselves to practicing the trainings (sikkha). However, not everyone can continue on the path of practice with firm determination. The Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa Sutta is precisely the rule for handling cases in which monastics abandon or violate their vow to observe the discipline.
Main Content
Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa (renouncing the training) refers to the formal declaration by a bhikkhu that he no longer intends to continue practicing the training rules laid down by the Buddha. This is a serious act because it involves the violation or rejection of the commitment to practice.
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, when a bhikkhu declares that he is renouncing the training, whether publicly or privately, with a clear intention no longer to follow the Buddha’s Dharma, this is regarded as blameworthy. However, the Vinaya does not present this as a general moral offense, but as a matter that requires clear determination of that person’s monastic status.
The sutta makes clear that renouncing the training is not an offense within the Pātimokkha list of principal precepts, but a matter concerning the resolve to practice. If a monastic truly abandons the intention to practice, he is considered no longer to be keeping the bhikkhu precepts. The Vinaya Piṭaka lays out the steps for confirming and handling this case within the community.
Practical Meaning
The Sikkhaṁpaccācikkhaṇa Sutta teaches that the path of practice is a sacred commitment requiring unwavering determination.
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