Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Pc 49Hitting

PAHĀRA SUTTA (THE ACT OF STRIKING)

Background

The Pahāra Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha of the Theravāda tradition. The disciplinary rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka were established by the Buddha to protect integrity, the internal harmony of the Sangha, and the preservation of the teaching. The Pahāra Sutta deals with the issue of concrete violent conduct: striking another person, which is considered a violation of the discipline and ethics of a renunciant.

The background for the arising of this sutta may be connected with incidents in the monastic community where someone used physical violence. The Buddha, with deep understanding of karma and the harm caused by violence, established this rule so that monastics, monks and nuns, would stay away from killing and injury. Even striking another person reflects obstacles of anger, latent violence, and factors contrary to the path of practice leading toward nirvana.

Main Content

The Pahāra Sutta states that if a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī strikes another person, whether a bhikkhu, bhikkhunī, or layperson, they violate one of the standards of purity or commit a serious disciplinary offense. Depending on the degree, this act may lead to Pāyantika, an offense requiring confession, or even Saṅghādisesa, an offense requiring the intervention of the Sangha.

Importantly, the rule does not merely prohibit the direct act of striking, but also condemns the mental state behind it: anger, rage, and the lack of mettā, loving-kindness. Striking directly reflects loss of control of the mind, which is why the Buddha regarded it as a serious offense. In the Theravāda tradition, this conduct is examined under the principle of ahiṃsā, non-harming: not injuring living beings.