Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 31Staying With an Army
Pāli / Sanskrit:Senāvāsa
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Senāvāsa Sutra: Staying With an Army
Background
The Senāvāsa rule, Staying With an Army, is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, one of the most important parts of early Buddhist discipline. This text is recorded in the section on Pātimokkha Saṃvara, the detailed disciplinary rules that bhikkhus must observe.
The appearance of this rule reflects the historical context after the Buddha established the community of the Sangha. Bhikkhus did not practice only in quiet places, but also lived within society and came into contact with many classes of people, including soldiers and military personnel. The question of how a practitioner should conduct himself near a military environment became a legal matter requiring specific regulation. Thus this rule was established to guide bhikkhus in such situations.
Main Content
Senāvāsa concerns the principle of the body, conduct, and spirit of a renunciant who must stay with an army or military persons. The main prohibition in this rule is that bhikkhus should not intentionally remain with an army or in a military camp for an extended period, nor should they participate in activities related to violence, warfare, or direct support of military operations.
The deeper reason for this rule lies in the very nature of Buddhism. A renunciant vows to follow the basic Five Precepts (Pañcasīla), among which is “refraining from killing living beings” (Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī), the first prohibition. Staying with an army can lead to turning a blind eye to violence, or even being regarded as indirectly supporting acts of killing. This is contrary to the spirit of immeasurable loving-kindness (mettā) toward which Buddhism is directed.
The rule also reminds us that staying with an army can disturb the mind of the practitioner, causing one to stray from the central aim of carefully examining oneself, cultivating meditation, and developing insight. A military environment is full of noise, passionate emotions, and entangling interactions, and can hardly provide favorable conditions for inner practice.
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