San Sarv Bu Pm Finot Sk 109Holding a Weapon
Pāli / Sanskrit:Āvudhapāṇi
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WEAPON-HOLDING SUTTA (ĀVUDHAPĀṆI SUTTA)
Background
The Weapon-Holding Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, the section of training regulations in Theravāda Buddhism. This discourse is recorded in the context of the Buddha establishing rules of virtue and discipline for the Sangha in order to maintain the purity of the community of practice.
The Pāli name “Āvudhapāṇi” means “holding a weapon,” a term with symbolic force in the Vinaya Piṭaka. It does not refer only to material weapons, but also to mental instruments, or to actions and ideas that may harm the purpose of practice and the harmony of the Sangha.
This discourse reflects the Theravāda spirit, in which the Buddhadharma focuses on building personal and collective discipline as the essential foundation for awakening. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not punishment, but wise guidance, helping those who have gone forth find the path of liberation.
Main Content
Although the specific content of this discourse has not yet been fully translated, according to the context of the Pāli Vinaya Piṭaka, the Weapon-Holding Sutta teaches about attitudes and actions to be avoided in order to protect the purity of the monastery and the practice of the Buddhadharma. “Weapons” here may be understood as mental “weapons” such as anger, greed, or actions that create division in the community.
In the Theravāda tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka is structured on the principle of “protection”: protecting the Sangha, protecting the Buddhadharma, protecting the neighboring people, and protecting oneself. Each rule corresponds to a specific circumstance, a story, a situation from the real lives of the early disciples.
The discourse on “holding a weapon” reminds us that what we “hold,” our intentions, speech, and actions, are “weapons” with the power to change our own mind and affect the community. A monastic or a practitioner must be vigilant regarding the psychological “weapons” one may use unconsciously.
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