Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Pc 62Intentionally Killing Living Creatures
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sañcicca
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The Discourse on the Precept Against Intentional Killing (Sañcicca Pārājika)
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of scriptures that lays down discipline and ethics within the Buddhist Sangha. Among the pārājika offenses, grave offenses that bring expulsion from the Sangha, the intentional killing of living beings is recorded in detail in order to protect the integrity of the Buddha's training. This discourse is not a theoretical sermon, but a practical regulation reflecting the spirit of compassion (mettā) in Buddhism, the foundation of communal life within the Sangha.
Sañcicca, intention or deliberateness, is the decisive factor. Theravāda Buddhism regards intention (cetanā) as the root of karma (kamma). Intentional killing is regarded as a violation of the most basic morality, breaking the spirit of respect for life upon which all Buddhist precepts are built.
Main Content
The discourse states that if a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī intentionally (sañcicca) kills any living being, from creatures with blood and breath to tiny beings, that person commits a pārājika, the gravest offense in the lesser code. This offense cannot be repaired and can only lead to expulsion from the Sangha.
The spirit of this regulation rests on three factors: intention (sañcicca), action (the carrying out of killing), and result (the being dies or one wishes it to die). An act is considered a violation only when all three factors are fully present. If killing occurs accidentally or through carelessness without prior intention, the degree of violation is different.
The Vinaya Piṭaka also details specific cases: killing directly, instructing another person to kill, or creating conditions that lead to death. All are considered violations if there is intention. Thus, the discourse emphasizes that in Buddhism, wrongdoing lies not only in physical action but also in harmful intention.
Practical Meaning
The Sañcicca pārājika teaches that respect for life is the foundation of Buddhist ethics.
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