San Lo Bi Vb Pc 93Anaṅgopeta

The Anaṅgopeta Scripture — Explanation from the Vinaya Piṭaka

Context

Anaṅgopeta, provisionally translated as "without erotic suggestion," is a disciplinary rule found in the Pātimokkha of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, specifically in the Pācittiya section, offenses requiring confession. This scripture is recorded in the Suttavibhaṅga, the Vinaya section of the Vinaya Piṭaka, where the Buddha and his disciples explained specific rules of conduct for those gone forth.

The context in which this rule arose is connected with inappropriate actions between male and female monastics. The Buddha established these rules not to forbid humane feeling, but to protect the spirit of pure practice and maintain the honor of the Sangha. Such conduct is regarded as inappropriate in the context of renunciation, where bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs vow to maintain wisdom and meditative stability.

Main Content

Anaṅgopeta stipulates that bhikkhus must not engage in actions, gestures, or speech of an erotic nature, things regarded as having sexual suggestion (an + aṅga + opeta). Specifically, the Vinaya rule prohibits acts such as seductive gestures, suggestive speech, or bodily attitudes intended to arouse desire in another person.

In the Vinaya Piṭaka, violations of this kind are classified as Pācittiya, offenses requiring confession before another bhikkhu. This means the action is not among the gravest violations, such as a Pārājika offense, but it still requires open confession in order to purify virtue.

The reason for establishing this rule is profound: the Buddha saw that such subtle actions, although not the most serious violations, could create conditions for spiritual decline. They destroy mental concentration and make the path of practice uneven. Moreover, such actions also negatively affect the reputation of the Sangha in the eyes of the Buddhist public.