Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 57Digging the Earth

Sutra on Digging the Earth (Pathavīkhaṇana)

Background

The rule on Digging the Earth is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha section of the early Buddhist tradition. It arose from a specific event in the Buddha’s time, when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī engaged in digging the earth contrary to the teachings of the Buddha-Dharma.

In the early years of the Sangha’s formation, the Buddha had to establish specific disciplinary rules to protect the purity of monastics and to limit harmful impact upon the environment and living beings. Digging the earth is not merely a technical action; it is directly connected with the killing of small beings living in the soil, such as grass shoots, worms, and microorganisms, which contradicts the first principle of the Five Precepts: refraining from killing living beings (Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī).

This rule is classified as Pācittiya, offenses that give rise to remorse and require confession before the Sangha. The event reflects the Buddha’s deep vision of the interconnection of all life and the responsibility of Buddhists to minimize harm to nature.

Main Content

The rule on Digging the Earth forbids bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs from digging the earth with their own hands or asking others to dig the earth for them. This act is forbidden for many profound reasons related to karma (kamma) and compassion (karuṇā).

First, digging the earth directly harms countless tiny beings living in the soil. From the standpoint of the Buddha-Dharma, these beings also have consciousness (citta) and the capacity to experience suffering; therefore this action creates pāpa kamma, unwholesome karma, for the one who performs it.

Second, the Buddha wished to protect the image of the teacher. If monastics personally dug the earth to build dwellings or cultivate gardens, this would create the impression that they were ordinary laborers, diminishing the sacred character of the noble ones of the Dharma.