Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 135Letting the Time Expire
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kālaatikkamana
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The Sutra on Letting Time Pass (Kālaatikkamana)
Background
The Sutra on Letting Time Pass (Kālaatikkamana) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pācittiya, the collection of rules concerning offenses that must be confessed. This is one of the detailed rules intended to protect the purity of the community of monks and nuns, especially in relation to observing the time limits prescribed in the Buddha’s teaching.
In the context of the Sangha, the monastic community, every action and decision has its prescribed period of time. Letting Time Pass, meaning allowing these deadlines to expire without acting in the spirit of the Dharma, is regarded as a lapse (pācittiya), an offense that must be confessed before fellow practitioners.
Main Content
This rule especially applies to cases in which a monk or nun is assigned a task, or is permitted something under a certain condition, but allows the appointed time to pass without completing it or carrying it out as instructed. For example, when the Buddha prescribed that a monk or nun must confess an offense within a certain period, or must complete a period of practice within a specific time, letting the time expire without doing so is a lapse.
Carefulness in observing time (kāla) reflects a profound principle: spiritually, there is nothing apart from the present. Each moment is an opportunity to practice in accordance with the Dharma. To let time pass carelessly is to waste a precious opportunity for practice and is a lack of respect for the Dharma taught by the Buddha.
This rule also teaches responsibility. Each monk or nun is not merely an individual practitioner but also a member of a community. Failing to do what has been prescribed within the appointed time can affect the trust and common discipline of the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
In Theravāda practice, the Kālaatikkamana text teaches us that time is the most precious possession. Each monastic needs to be aware of the impermanence (anicca) of every minute and second. The past cannot be returned to; only the present is the true opportunity for practice.
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