Lzh Sarv Ba 73Murder
Chinese title:第三波羅夷三 (Pārājika 3)
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Exposition of the Third Parajika Discourse (The Offense of Murder)
Background
The third parajika in the Bhikkhu Discipline (Bhikkhupatimokkha) of the Early Buddhist tradition is recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka. This discourse was taught by the Buddha to establish a fundamental ethical boundary for the community of bhikkhus. Murder, the act constituting the third parajika offense, is regarded as a violation at every level of the distinctive discipline valued by Buddhism: protecting life and renewing the mind of loving-kindness.
According to the Theravada tradition, parajika is the name for a group of grave offenses that, if committed by a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, result in permanent exclusion from the Sangha, with no possibility of returning to lay status and then retaining monastic standing. The third parajika, taking life (panatipata), concerns intentional acts that cause death to a conscious being.
Main Content
According to the Early Buddhist Vinaya, any bhikkhu who intentionally causes a human being to die or tries to cause that human being to die, whether by hand, by poison, or by words that lead another to suicide, commits the third parajika. This act is understood as intentional killing, and its essential conditions include three factors: (1) the object is a human being, (2) the act is undertaken with the deliberate intention to cause death, and (3) death occurs as the result.
The Vinaya emphasizes that even if a monastic only attempts to cause death and does not succeed, it is still a serious violation. However, if the precise intention (volition, cetana) is absent, or if death does not occur, the offense is classified at a lower level, such as sanghadisesa or pacittiya.
The heart of the third parajika lies in violating the basic vow that each monastic has promised to keep upon going forth: to protect life and cultivate loving-kindness (metta). Killing a human being is considered the most cruel act because human beings are regarded as having the highest capacity to practice the Dharma; therefore the loss of this life is the greatest loss for creation.
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