Bi Pj 33. The training rule on killing a human being
Pāli / Sanskrit:Manussaviggaha
A nun who kills a human being is expelled.
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Commentary on Bi Pj 3 — The Training Rule on Killing a Human Being
Background
The Manussaviggaha (Killing a Human Being) is found within the Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha — the code of discipline specific to female monastics in the Theravāda tradition. This code was promulgated by the Blessed One following the ordination of the first bhikkhunīs, with the aim of establishing a firm ethical foundation for the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha as a whole.
The circumstances in which this rule came to be reflect a specific event in the early days of Buddhism. When women were permitted to go forth in accordance with the Blessed One's word, the monastic community required clear rules in order to uphold purity and publicly affirm the legitimacy of female renunciation. The training rule on killing a human being is among the most fundamental of these rules, reflecting a core value of the Buddha's teaching: the practice of compassion and non-harm (ahiṁsā).
The rule is grouped among the pārājika offences (the Four Defeats) — the gravest transgressions, which result in the permanent expulsion of the offender from the Saṅgha. The robe may be removed and laid aside, but once a pārājika has been committed, there is no path of rehabilitation or re-entry for many years.
Main Content
The Manussaviggaha rule states: if any bhikkhunī, whether intentionally or unintentionally, takes the life of a human being, the transgression is classified as pārājika — an offence entailing expulsion. "A human being" is here defined as a being of human nature, from the moment of conception until death.
Unlike certain other rules within the Vinaya, this rule does not require that the bhikkhunī have the intention to kill (cetanā). The Theravāda Vinaya recognizes that causing the death of a human being — whether by direct or indirect action, whether done with or without intention — constitutes a betrayal of the fundamental principle of non-harm. The purpose of this rule is not to punish, but to preserve the purity of the practicing community and to protect the absolute value of life.
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