San Mg Bu Pm Pc 62Intentionally Killing Living Creatures
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sañcicca
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Explanation of the Sañcicca Sutta (Intentionally Killing Living Beings)
Background
This prohibition is recorded in the Pātimokkha (the fundamental code for bhikkhus), specifically in the Pārājika section--offenses leading to expulsion from the Sangha body. According to the Theravāda tradition, this is one of the most classical rules concerning monastic ethics, reflecting the profound principle of non-killing (ahiṃsā) in early Buddhism.
The word "Sañcicca" (สญ́ัจจิจจ) means "intentional, deliberate," emphasizing that the act must arise from the mind's direct wish, not by accident or through carelessness. Certainly, a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī must not intentionally kill any living being, from a tiny insect to a large animal. This is not only a formal rule, but an expression of liberation from self-grasping (parinirvana) from the cycle of rebirth driven by conditions of aversion.
Main Content
The rule concerning the intentional killing of a living being (sañcicca pāṇātipāta) states that if one who has gone forth intentionally causes the death of a living being, that person has committed a Pārājika offense--that is, is no longer a lawful member of the Sangha body. This act must fulfill five factors: (1) there is a living being, (2) the offender knows that it is alive, (3) the offender has the intention to kill it, (4) the offender carries out the action, and (5) that being dies because of that action.
It is important to note that the degree of the offense depends on "intention" (cetanā). If someone accidentally kills an insect while bathing, that is not Pārājika because sañcicca (intentionality) is absent. However, if someone intentionally uses poison to kill, causing a being to die slowly, that is the gravest violation. This rule also includes ordering another person to kill on one's behalf--which is likewise regarded as a violation.
Ancient legal commentaries (such as Buddhaghosa's Samantapāsādikā) explain that "living beings" (pāṇa) are defined as things possessing consciousness (viññāṇa), not merely things that appear to be alive.
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