Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Pc 41Using Water With Living Creatures

Sappāṇaka Sutta: The Rule on Using Water Containing Life

Background

This rule is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially in the Pācittiya section, the rules concerning offenses requiring confession. It arises from a basic ethical foundation of early Buddhism: respect for the life of all beings (Ahiṃsā, non-harming).

In the time of the Buddha, bhikkhus often used water for drinking or washing without noticing that the water contained small forms of life: minute living beings invisible to the ordinary eye. Although these beings exist at a basic material level, they are still living beings, capable of sensation, and therefore worthy of protection.

The Buddha clearly recognized this problem and established a rule so that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs would be mindful and careful when using water, minimizing harm to these unseen beings. This is an expression of immeasurable loving-kindness (mettā) and of the comprehensive principle of non-killing.

Main Content

The Sappāṇaka Sutta states that monastics should not use water containing life, such as fresh rainwater or water from wells or streams that has not been filtered, without caution. Specifically, when using water for drinking or washing, the practitioner should:

First, try to use water that has been filtered through cloth, left standing so that small beings can swim away, or boiled in order to kill bacteria. Second, when the use of natural water cannot be avoided, one should make a warning gesture beforehand, such as saying “move away,” to give beings an opportunity to withdraw before the water is used.

Third, water should be carefully shaken off from utensils, food, or the body to avoid further harm to any beings remaining there. This rule is not intended to create excessive tension or anxiety, but is an expression of a universal consciousness regarding an ethical way of life.