San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Sk 102Holding a Sword
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na khaḍgapāṇa
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The Discourse on Holding a Sword: True Happiness Does Not Come from Violence
Background
The “Holding a Sword” discourse (Na khaḍgapāṇa) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, in the section of disciplinary regulations (Vinaya) for monks and nuns. The background of this discourse reflects a practical issue common in the early monastic community of Buddhism: whether a person who has taken refuge in the Three Jewels may use violence or weapons for self-defense or to protect others.
The discourse was taught when the Buddha discovered that some newly trained monastics were still touching swords or other weapons for self-protection. This scene compelled the Buddha to clarify a basic ethical principle of the teaching, especially the element of non-killing (Ahiṃsā), the principle of causing no harm to any living being.
Main Content
The discourse clearly warns of the consequences of holding a sword or other weapons as a means of protection or self-defense. The Buddha did not deny that human beings have an instinct of fear and a search for safety, but he pointed out that relying on violence is a thoroughly mistaken dark path.
The core message of the discourse is this: those who hold swords and surround themselves with weapons in search of safety are actually fleeing from the root problem. The root problem is greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha), the three poisons in the mind. Even if external weapons surround difficulties, if these three poisons remain, that person still has no true peace.
The discourse emphasizes that those who follow the Buddha’s teaching must trust in the power of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā), the three spiritual trainings. These are the true “weapons” of a practitioner, not swords or arrows.
Practical Meaning
The “Holding a Sword” discourse has profound practical meaning for modern Buddhist faith. It is not only a prohibition against the use of weapons, but also a lesson on how to establish a foundation for inner and social peace.
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