Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 38Obstructing a Legal Procedure
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kammapaṭibāhana
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Kammapaṭibāhana Sutra — Obstructing a Legal Procedure
Background
The Kammapaṭibāhana rule (Pāli: kamma = act; paṭibāhana = obstruction, hindrance) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pācittiya section, the training rules whose violation must be confessed. It is one of the rules governing the noble community, intended to protect the purity and order of the Sangha.
This rule arose from situations in the noble community in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī deliberately obstructed a lawful procedure of the Sangha. A legal procedure (kamma) in this context does not mean karma in the deeper doctrinal sense, but collective decisions, administrative acts, or disciplinary measures carried out by the Sangha according to the rule.
This is part of the detailed code for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, established by the Buddha to maintain discipline, openness, transparency, and fairness in the practicing community.
Main Content
The principle of Kammapaṭibāhana is this: a bhikkhu must not deliberately obstruct, block, or disrupt a lawful decision of the Sangha. “Obstruction” includes actions such as unjustified opposition, causing disturbance during the procedure, exploiting administrative flaws, or attempting to weaken a decision that has been validly passed.
This rule emphasizes that when the Sangha has assembled and made a decision according to the proper regulations, members have the responsibility to respect that decision. If anyone has questions or objections, they must raise them respectfully, openly, and through the appropriate channels of the Vinaya, not through subtle or secretive maneuvers.
Violation of this rule leads to the penalty of Pācittiya, an offense that the bhikkhu must openly confess before the Sangha during the Parisuddhi, the Uposatha gathering for reciting the rule.
Practical Meaning
The Kammapaṭibāhana rule teaches us a profound lesson about respecting collective decisions and lawful order.
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