Mpt Sk 99Holding a Sword
Pāli / Sanskrit:Na khaḍgapāṇa
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The Na Khaḍgapāṇa Sutta (Not Holding a Sword)
Background
The “Not Holding a Sword” Sutta (Na khaḍgapāṇa) belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka of the Theravāda tradition, where the precepts and regulations training conduct for the monastic community are recorded in detail. The background for the appearance of this sutta is when the Buddha saw that certain bhikkhus with unwholesome intentions had used swords to harm, or held weapons for the purpose of protecting the body by force. This situation directly contradicted the virtue of one practicing the Buddha-Dharma, who is committed to cultivating spiritual security through compassion and nonviolence.
The Vinaya Pitaka is not merely a collection of academic prohibitions, but practical guidance arising from specific situations in the immediate formation of the monastic community. Each precept, that is, each rule of training, was established because of an actual need and for the purpose of protecting the purity of the community of practitioners.
Main Content
The Na Khaḍgapāṇa Sutta lays down that bhikkhus should not hold swords or any kind of weapon. The act of holding a sword directly violates the spirit of practice of one who follows Buddhism, because it reflects a mind that does not trust in the merit of patience and loving-kindness (mettā). The sword is a symbol of the intention to harm, of hostile discrimination, and of reliance on physical power rather than spiritual strength.
This rule is not merely an administrative order but a profound reminder. When a bhikkhu holds a sword, his mind is sinking into greed, hatred, and delusion, the three basic poisons according to the Buddha-Dharma. Greed appears as the craving for personal safety through force, hatred appears as the capacity to harm, and delusion appears as the mistaken belief that a weapon can protect anything of true value.
This sutta is also related to the training in moral discipline (sīla), one of the three divisions of mental training in the Buddha-Dharma. Sīla is not only outward conduct, but the refinement of intention and the transformation of consciousness.
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