Bu Pc 1616. Encroaching on a monk
Pāli / Sanskrit:Anupakhajja
A monk who lies down in a dwelling belonging to the Order, encroaching on another monk and aiming to make him depart, must confess the offense.
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Commentary on Pācittiya Rule 16: Anupakhajja (Encroaching)
Background
This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the Pātimokkha of the Buddhist Monastic Code. It is recorded in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha — the rules that nuns are required to observe. However, the same principle applies equally to monks through shared ethical norms and the sharing of communal space.
This context reflects a practical issue within the early monastic community: the management of living space and the maintenance of harmony within the Saṅgha. Since dwellings are owned collectively by the Saṅgha — not by individuals — the act of encroaching upon a fellow monastic's lodging with the intention of driving them away constitutes a violation of communal norms and an expression of disrespect toward one another.
Main Content
This Vinaya rule stipulates that: If a monastic lies down in a Saṅgha dwelling by encroaching upon the lodging of another monastic, with the primary intention of causing that person to leave, such an action is considered an offense requiring confession (Pācittiya — an acknowledgment of wrongdoing).
"Encroaching" (anupakhajja) here does not simply mean lying down beside another person; it refers to the deliberate act of occupying space with the intention of creating inconvenience, discomfort, or pressure so that the other person will depart. This is a subtle form of violence — not physical violence, but violence through conduct that is harmful to another.
This offense is classified as a Pācittiya, a lesser category than the Pārājika (offenses of defeat) or the Saṅghādisesa (offenses requiring formal community action), yet it still requires public confession before another monastic. This demonstrates that Early Buddhism placed great emphasis on purity within the community and encouraged sincerity in the correction of wrongdoing.
Practical Significance
This Vinaya rule teaches us a profound lesson about communal harmony (Saṅghasāmaggī) — one of the core factors in the flourishing of the Saṅgha.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.