Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Sk 49Swaying
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kāyappacālaka
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Kāyappacālaka Sutra (The Sutra on Bodily Swaying)
Background
The Kāyappacālaka Sutra is a Vinaya rule belonging to the Pāli Canon of the Theravāda tradition, found in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the analysis of the rules for bhikkhunīs. This sutra is recorded in order to define unintentional actions or natural mechanisms of the body that bhikkhunīs cannot fully control, especially involuntary movements of the body during sleep or by accident.
The background for the establishment of the sutra relates to the need in early Buddhism to set clear standards regarding conduct that violates sexual discipline within the renunciant community. This reflects the practical view of Theravāda Buddhism: not only intention, but the actual bodily action, must be clearly determined in order to establish ethical fault (pāpacchiha cintanā: unwholesome intention is the root, but bodily action must be clearly identified).
Main Content
The Kāyappacālaka Sutra deals with cases in which the body sways or moves (kāya ppacālaka) without voluntary control. In the context of Theravāda Buddhist Vinaya, distinguishing intentional from unintentional action is very important for determining the degree of violation.
The content of the sutra usually concerns situations in which the body unexpectedly moves, such as during sleep, when startled, or through natural reflex movements that a renunciant cannot control. The sutra establishes that such movements, if they occur entirely outside awareness and control, do not constitute a violation of rules concerning sexuality or other offenses that require clear intention (cetanā).
This reflects a core principle in the Buddhist Vinaya Piṭaka: cetanāham bhikkhave kammam vadāmi (Monastics, I say that intention is karma). An action that violates the Vinaya must be performed with full awareness. Involuntary movements of the physiological body are not sufficient to be regarded as violations.
Practical Meaning
The Kāyappacālaka Sutra teaches bhikkhunīs, and especially all practitioners, that practice is not irrational severity or excessive self-blame for things beyond one's control.
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