San Lo Bu Pm Pc 56Staying With an Army
Pāli / Sanskrit:Senāvāsa
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DISCOURSE ON STAYING WITH AN ARMY
Background
The Senāvāsa discourse (Staying with an army) belongs to the Vinaya of the Theravāda tradition, recorded among the rules of conduct for the Sangha. This is one of the prohibitions of the Pātimokkha, the basic training rules that every monk and nun must observe in order to maintain the purity of the monastic community.
The background of this prohibition lies in the early period of Buddhism, when the Buddha was still alive. Monks who did not observe discipline often committed acts that violated order. One of the issues that concerned the Buddha was the relationship between monks and armies, the worldly armed forces. This raised concerns about the honor of the monastic community and the negative influence on the practice of those gone forth.
The Vinaya records that some monks lived together with armies or spent long periods with soldiers, and the Buddha regarded this as a decline from the holy way of life. Therefore he issued this prohibition to protect the spiritual independence and purity of the Sangha.
Main Content
The Senāvāsa prohibition states that a monk should not stay with an army for a long period. Specifically, if a monk resides with an army for three consecutive nights or more without a legitimate reason, this is considered a serious violation, belonging to the Pācittiya class, an offense removed after confession.
The criteria of violation include duration of residence, three nights or more; place, a place where an army is assembled; and intention, not being there for exceptional causes such as illness or a duty of the monastic community. The law of the Sangha also provides exceptions, such as when the monk must remain because of sickness, or because a sacred duty of the monastic community needs to be completed.
The deeper purpose of this prohibition is not discrimination against or fear of the army, but the protection of the monk’s purified consciousness.
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