Bu Pj 33. The training rule on killing a human being
Pāli / Sanskrit:Manussaviggaha
A monk who kills a human being is expelled. The origin narrative to this rule includes an unusual and much debated story about a number of monks who meditate on the unattractiveness of the body. As a result they end up committing suicide and asking others to kill them. The Buddha then teaches the meditation on mindfulness of breathing.
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Vinaya Piṭaka Commentary: The Rule on Killing a Human Being
Background
This rule appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of Theravāda Buddhism, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha—the code of training rules for nuns. It is one of the most fundamental rules of the Buddhist Saṅgha, reflecting the principle of non-harm (ahiṃsā) that the Buddha established as the foundation for the community of those who have aroused the mind of practice.
The remarkable story that prompted the formulation of this rule reveals the Buddha's careful deliberation. A number of bhikkhus, while cultivating the meditation on the unattractiveness of the body (asubha bhāvanā), misunderstood the purpose of this practice. Rather than nurturing relinquishment and non-clinging, they fell into profound despair, believing that the best way to escape the bondage of the body was to end their lives. Some took their own lives, while others requested their fellow monastics to kill them. This was a clear sign that the meditation practice had gone astray, and the Buddha needed to intervene—not only to prevent such tragedies, but also to redirect practitioners toward the correct method of cultivation.
The Buddha's response was to teach the meditation on Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānasati bhāvanā)—a profound practice in which attention is gently placed on the natural breath, gradually releasing wrong views and nurturing both concentration and wisdom.
Main Content
The rule is stated clearly: any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who directly kills a human being (manussaviggaha) must be expelled from the Saṅgha (pārājika—a defeat). This is not an offense that can be confessed and remedied; it constitutes a complete severance of one's standing within the Theravāda monastic code.
The term "killing a human being" (manussaviggaha) is specifically defined: the victim must be a human being capable of receiving life (from the moment of conception until the moment of death), and the one who acts must have the intention to kill.
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