Lzh Mu Bi Vb Pj 3Murder
Pāli / Sanskrit:Manussaviggaha
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Interpretation of the Manussaviggaha Sutta (Harming a Human Being)
Background
The Manussaviggaha Sutta (Pāli: human being + violence) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the disciplinary collection, one of the three sacred collections of the Theravāda Buddhadharma. This Vinaya was promulgated by the Buddha and his disciples in order to govern the collective life of the Sangha, helping monks and nuns preserve purity and develop spiritually.
The Manussaviggaha Sutta belongs to the Pārājika section (offenses that may lead to expulsion from the Sangha). The context arose when the Buddha and his disciples had to face actions that violated rules within the Sangha community. This text was recorded to educate and clarify the grave consequences of harming human life, especially within the circle of monastics.
Main Content
The Manussaviggaha Sutta concerns the offense of killing a human being (manussaviggaha). In the traditional Vinaya, this is considered one of the gravest violations, leading to a monk or nun being permanently excluded from the Sangha, unable to recover the essence of the Buddha's ordinance.
According to the spirit of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, a practitioner who has undertaken the Five Precepts or Eight Precepts must observe restraints in conduct. Taking life, especially human life, which is regarded as possessing full awareness, reflects a complete rupture from the universal foundation of the Buddhadharma: loving-kindness (mettā) and non-harming (avihiṃsā).
This text does not merely establish a rule; it also explains that the act corresponds to a profound moral violation. A practitioner, one who has witnessed the Buddha's Dharma and vowed to live by the path of minimal harm, then kills; this is regarded as a great "blameworthy act" (sāvajja), that is, a shameful and irreparable deed.
Practical Meaning
Although the Manussaviggaha Sutta is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka specifically intended for the formal religious community, its deeper meaning extends beyond the boundaries of the monastery.
🌏 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.