San Mg Bu Pm Pc 58Hitting
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pahāra
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The Sutta on Hitting (Pahāra) -- Explanation
Background
The Sutta on Hitting belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially the Pātimokkha section--the fundamental code for bhikkhus. The Pātimokkha consists of 227 rules (or 311 for bhikkhunīs) established by the Buddha to protect the discipline, maintain harmony in the Sangha, and create favorable conditions for practice.
The Sutta on Hitting is recorded in the context of the Buddha instructing the Sangha about harmful and divisive conduct. This is not an isolated regulation, but part of an appropriate system of training rules. The recording of rules concerning physical actions such as hitting or injuring another person reflects the Buddha Dharma's concern for human relationships and immediate karmic results.
The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a set of dry prohibitions, but an expression of the Buddha's loving-kindness (mettā) and wisdom (paññā). Every precept has an occasion of origin and a deep educational purpose.
Main Content
The Sutta on Hitting in the Pātimokkha states that a bhikkhu must not strike another person or use physical violence. Such conduct violates the character of one who has gone forth, one who has relinquished defilements and hatred.
This rule was established by the Buddha on the foundation of the basic precepts. If compared with the Five Precepts for laypeople (Pañcasīla), abstaining from killing (pāṇātipātā) is one part. At the bhikkhu level, however, the rule is expanded and made more detailed. It is not only that one must not kill; one must not cause harm or use physical violence, even in the slightest degree.
The discourse teaches that a bhikkhu should cultivate patience (khanti paramī) and loving-kindness (mettā). When facing conflict or insult, a monastic must overcome anger (dosa)--one of the three basic poisons (lobha, dosa, moha). The act of hitting someone is a direct manifestation of hatred, contrary to the nature of the Buddhist discipline.
Practical Meaning
The Sutta on Hitting teaches us that practice is not only the training of the mind, but also voluntary restraint of the body.
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