Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Sk 102Holding a Knife

Discourse on Holding a Knife - Satthapāṇi

Background

The Satthapāṇi Sutta, holding a knife, is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the discipline for bhikkhunīs, belonging to the Theravāda tradition of the Pāli Canon. This is an instruction of the Buddha related to the implementation of rules of practice, intended to protect the purity of the Sangha.

This discourse arose when there was an incident involving a bhikkhunī or a bhikkhu using a knife or using a weapon as an act violating a basic principle. The historical background reflects specific situations in monastic life in the monasteries during the Buddha’s lifetime, when the Buddha directly taught what needed to be observed in order to maintain pure discipline.

The Vinaya Piṭaka is regarded as the most practical body of regulations, recording the way the Buddha handled specific situations and established rules to manage the Sangha. These instructions are not arbitrary commands but practical guidelines for beings, intended to protect the spiritual mind of those gone forth.

Main Content

In the Satthapāṇi Sutta, the central issue concerns a person gone forth holding, using, or carrying a weapon such as a knife. This is not only a fault in action, but also reflects a state of mind that violates the basic principles of the Dharma.

According to the early Vinaya Piṭaka, a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī is not permitted to hold instruments of killing such as knives, saw blades, or kinds of weapons. This action violates Paṭicca Samuppāda, dependent origination, in the ethical life of practice. The Buddha taught that those gone forth should be far from violence, killing, and intentions of greed and anger.

This discourse emphasizes that possessing or using weapons contradicts the ideal of non-killing (Ahiṃsā). A bhikkhunī holding a knife is not only a physical action but an expression of a mind not yet purified, not yet truly abandoning the unwholesome (Akusala).