Lzh Mu Bu Pm Ss 4Encouraging Someone to Serve One’s Desires
Pāli / Sanskrit:Attakāmpāricariya
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The Attakāmpāricariya Sutta: Encouraging Others to Serve Oneself
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravada tradition, in the section that regulates the discipline of the Sangha. Attakāmpāricariya (atta-kāmpa-āricariya) is one of the offenses warned against for those who have gone forth, especially teachers or those who hold a position in the community of practice.
The background of the sutta reflects a common situation in the Sangha community: those who have gone forth using their influence or authority to pressure, encourage, or obstruct others according to their personal wishes. Although the phrase “serve one’s desires” refers to serving wishes, this sutta in fact warns against interfering with the freedom of others, especially when the motivation comes from impure desires or personal benefit.
This is part of the system of discipline established by the Buddha to maintain the nobility and purity of the Sangha. The aim is not punishment, but education and the prevention of actions that violate the self-determination of others in the community.
Main Content
The sutta warns that one who has gone forth should not encourage or forbid another to do something in order to serve one’s own wishes or personal needs. Such an action violates the basic principle of respect for each person’s independence and freedom of practice.
Specifically, a person with authority or influence should not use that position to shape, incite, or persuade others toward actions that serve only his own benefit. This includes such things as asking others to provide services, resources, or support on the basis of prestige or psychological pressure, rather than true voluntariness.
The sutta emphasizes that the Sangha is a community of monastics equal in the practice of the path, though with differences in experience. Therefore, exploiting one’s position is a serious violation of the common spirit of practice. Concealing impure motives behind words of encouragement is also an essential part of this violation.
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