San Lo Bu Pm Pc 76Drinking Alcohol
Pāli / Sanskrit:Surāpāna
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Surāpāna Discourse: Establishing the Rule on Drinking Alcohol
Background
The Surāpāna discourse (Drinking Alcohol) belongs to the Pātimokkha Saṃvara Sutta in the traditional Theravāda Vinaya and is one of the most basic rules of the Bhikkhu Sangha. The legislative background arose when the Buddha witnessed newly offending monks being expelled after drinking alcohol and unintentionally committing other offenses. Alcohol obscures wisdom (moha), covers the clarity of the mind, and from there leads to actions contrary to ethics and the law of the Sangha.
For this reason the Buddha established the Surāpāna Pācittiya, one of the categories of minor offenses requiring confession, in order to protect the clear nature of the minds of monastic followers. This rule is not merely a prohibition, but also an educational means for nurturing energy (viriya) and insight (pañña).
Main Content
According to the Theravāda Vinaya, the Surāpāna Pācittiya states that a bhikkhu must not drink any kind of alcohol or substance that stimulates the mind. Violating this, even by a single drop, whether unintentionally or intentionally, gives rise to a Pācittiya offense (Pāli: pātti, “external fault”), requiring the monk to confess publicly before the Sangha.
The prohibition against drinking alcohol is based on the principle of protecting the five precepts (pañcasīla), which lay people too should maintain. For bhikkhus, however, the law of the Sangha (Vinaya) is even stricter, requiring four absolute prohibitions (Pāramī):
First, not drinking alcohol is regarded as a means of protecting the mind from confusion. Alcohol weakens the nervous system, destroys the capacity for mindfulness, and distracts concentration. Therefore maintaining purity from alcohol is preserving the fire of concentration and wisdom.
Second, this rule lies within the context of the Mahāpāṭimokkha, the collection of two hundred fifty-two rules, or three hundred and more for bhikkhunīs. Each rule is not separate, but is connected into a whole of ethics and spiritual discipline.
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