Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Ss 4Encouraging Someone to Serve One’s Desires
Pāli / Sanskrit:Attakāmpāricariya
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Exposition of the Attakāmpāricariya Sutta
Encouraging Someone to Serve One’s Desires
Background
The Attakāmpāricariya Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, a core part of the traditional early Buddhist discipline. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not only a collection of formal rules, but also a profound teaching on the ethics and psychology of Buddhist practice. This sutta was established to warn of the dangers of encouraging others to pursue personal desires without restraint.
The historical context of the Vinaya Piṭaka concerns the Buddha and his disciples building the community of monks and nuns, the Sangha. As the community grew, issues of ethics and collective conduct arose, leading to the development of rules of practice. The Attakāmpāricariya Sutta addresses a subtle but important matter: the negative influence one person may exert on another by encouraging them to pursue unwholesome desires.
Main Content
Attakāmpāricariya, “service to one’s own desires,” refers to the conduct of those who use speech, authority, or influence to encourage others, especially members of the Sangha, to comply with their personal desires. This is not only a matter of exploitation or deception, but also of actively pushing others away from the path of practice.
The sutta points out that this conduct violates a basic principle of the Buddhadharma: each person has the responsibility to guide others toward awakening, not away from it. Whoever encourages others, especially those who have vowed to practice the Buddhadharma, to follow paths leading to suffering and bondage directly harms the practice of the Buddhist community.
The Vinaya Piṭaka makes clear that this conduct is considered a serious fault. It breaks harmony in the Sangha and obstructs the spiritual progress of individuals. In particular, it reflects a lack of compassion and wholesome intention in the person who performs the act.
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