San Mg Bu Pm Pc 66Playing
Pāli / Sanskrit:Hasadhamma
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Hasadhamma Sutta (The Sutta on Playing)
Background
The Hasadhamma Sutta belongs to the Pātimokkha, the basic rules, in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. This is one of the important rules concerning the conduct of monastics, especially the issue of play and the presence of mindfulness in the life of training.
According to the background of the Vinaya Piṭaka, this sutta was formulated when the Buddha saw some novices or monastics taking part in heedless forms of play, causing mental distraction and diversion from the goal of practice. Improper playing was regarded as conduct contrary to the celibate and tranquil spirit of the practitioner.
This sutta reflects the view of the Pāli Theravāda tradition that every action of a practitioner should be governed by clear comprehension (sampajañña) and mindfulness (sati). Those who have gone forth must maintain a higher level of discipline than laypeople, because their goal is to seek nirvana, not amusement or entertainment.
Main Content
Although the descriptive information does not provide the full specific content of the Hasadhamma Sutta, based on the context of the Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka, this sutta generally explains why taking part in games or playful activities is unsuitable for practitioners, especially actions that cause distraction or dispersal of mind.
In the Pātimokkha, the rules are divided into different categories: Pārājika (defeats), Saṅghādisesa (offenses requiring communal resolution), Aniyata (undetermined offenses), Nissaggiya Pācittiya (offenses involving forfeiture), and Pācittiya (minor offenses). The Hasadhamma Sutta is generally classified in the Pācittiya group, meaning that it is a minor offense but still requires confession.
The sutta emphasizes that practitioners should avoid purposeless playful activities, including games, inappropriate amusement, or actions that are not beneficial for practice. Instead, time and mind should be devoted to meditation, study of the Dharma, and the cultivation of wholesome virtues.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.