San Sarv Bu Pm Tf 11 Sk 108Holding a Sword

The Holding a Sword Sutta (Na Khaḍgapāṇa)

Context

The Holding a Sword Sutta is one of the regulations recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the early tradition, belonging to the Pāli Canon. This is not a discourse teaching the Dharma, but a disciplinary rule (Vinaya) related to the actions of monastics. This text belongs to the section that deals with faults and violations within the early Buddhist monastic community.

The background of this rule arose from specific situations within the early Sangha community. The Buddha and his disciples encountered situations that required clear rules to be established in order to maintain the purity of the monastery and protect the image of the Sangha. The Vinaya Piṭaka was constructed according to this principle: not as laws that had always existed, but as regulations born from practical need.

Main Content

The Holding a Sword Sutta concerns the fact that a monastic should not hold or grasp a sword. This may be understood in two ways: first, literally, as a prohibition against those gone forth holding weapons; second, symbolically, as a reference to not having a fierce, aggressive spirit or readiness to confront others through violence.

A monastic who has gone forth, when grasping a sword or holding any weapon, violates a disciplinary regulation. This is not only about prohibiting the use of violence, but also about maintaining an image consistent with the vow of one gone forth. Those who have renounced household life and entered the monastery to seek liberation from suffering should not carry symbols of violence or worldly power.

The Vinaya Piṭaka records that if a monastic holds a sword or similar weapon, this is regarded as a specific violation, with varying degrees and penalties depending on the situation and intention. The purpose of this rule is to educate the monastic community in higher standards of conduct.