Killing (pāṇātipāta)
Skillful qualities / Noble Eightfold Path / Right Action / Killing
Part of tag cluster Right Action in key topic The Noble Eightfold Path
Alternative translations: Taking life
Also a subtag of Five Precepts and Eight Precepts
Subtags: Vegetarianism, Suicide, Euthanasia, Abortion
19 excerpts, 1:03:04 total duration

All excerpts (19) Most relevant (15) Questions about (13) Answers involving (4) Stories (4)

Remembering Ajahn Chah Weekend, Session 22 – Apr. 28, 2001

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7. “Everything that’s placed in your bowl... [audio unclear]?” Answered by Ajahn Sundarā and Ajahn Amaro. [Almsfood] // [Killing] [Eating after noon] [Medicinal requisites]


Remembering Ajahn Chah Weekend, Session 31 – Apr. 29, 2001

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4. Story: A hit man hired to kill Ajahn Chah ordains instead. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Crime] [Killing] [Ordination] [Ajahn Chah] // [Older monks]


Tudong Stories at Spirit Rock, Session 3 – Jun. 2, 2011

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8. Story: Ajahn Pasanno gets a foot infection on tudong. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sickness] [Culture/Thailand] [Health care] [Tudong] // [Killing] [Goodwill]


Right Livelihood, Session 1 – Apr. 21, 2013

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3. “Could you talk more about the particular professions that the Buddha laid out as wrong livelihood (AN 5.177)? Why is being in the military not on the list?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Work] [Military] [Right Livelihood] // [Unskillful qualities] [Kamma] [Killing] [Intoxicants] [Rebirth]

Sutta: AN 5.177: Trades

Story: The widow of a wealthy man divests from Singha Beer. [Commerce/economics]


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10. Comments about meat eating. [Food] [Killing] [Craving] [Vegetarianism] [Right Livelihood]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Volition] [Human]


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20. Comments about Temple Grandon designing low-anxiety slaughterhouses. [Killing] [Food] [Right Livelihood]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno.


Abhayagiri 2014 Winter Retreat, Session 31 – Feb. 17, 2014

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6. “Do you think the vegetarian choice at certain centers and monasteries relates to different temperaments or personalities?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Vegetarianism] [Personality] // [Ajahn Gunha] [Simplicity] [Killing] [Wat Pah Nanachat]

Comment by Ajahn Cunda: At Abhayagiri when people ask, we tell them we prefer vegetarian. [Abhayagiri]


Abhayagiri 2014 Winter Retreat, Session 32 – Feb. 18, 2014

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4. “How do monks treat intestinal worms?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Monastic life] [Health care] [Sickness] [Killing]


2014 Thanksgiving Monastic Retreat, Session 2 – Nov. 23, 2014

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14. “Regarding the 1st precept of non-killing / non-harming, what to do on a practical / decision level regarding something like termites? I sold my last house because I didn’t want to fumigate, but I can’t keep moving to avoid killing termites / ants that eat at a house. Thank you for your compassion and explanation.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Killing] [Animal] // [Kamma]

Story: Abhayagiri deals with a cockroach infestation. [Abhayagiri] [Killing]


Buddhist Identity in the Modern World – Aug. 15, 2015

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11. Comment: People outside will sometimes make fun of our efforts to keep the First Precept. [Killing] [Culture/West] [Buddhist identity]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno]


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12. Story about not killing a rattlesnake. [Killing] [Culture/West] [Animal] [Buddhist identity]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Culture/Thailand]


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15. “Can you say more about how living up to cultural expectations can be skillful?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conscience and prudence] [Skillful qualities] [Buddhist identity] // [Killing] [Sense restraint] [Clear comprehension] [Compassion] [Malicious speech] [Right Speech]


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19. Comment by Ajahn Ñāṇiko: I keep coming back to true principle–what are we doing it all for? [Dhamma] [Killing] [Right Intention] [Buddhist identity]

Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Attachment to precepts and practices] [Suffering] [Happiness] [Skillful qualities]


Suttas You've Never Heard Of, Session 2 – Jun. 25, 2016

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5. “This year my whole family got lice. How do we respond to this skillfully?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Lay life] [Family] [Killing] [Animal] // [Human] [Patience]


Thanksgiving Retreat 2016, Session 1 – Nov. 19, 2016

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4. “What do you do when there are ants at the monastery? Is there a way to get rid of them naturally without killing them? I had to get rid of some a week ago and witnessed 3 ants die somewhat painfully by what I used which caused both sadness and remorse in me and I don’t want to do it again. But what is “right action” (ie. the precepts) versus what is practical?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Killing] [Monastic life]


Thanksgiving Retreat 2016, Session 3 – Nov. 21, 2016

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8. “I have a moral dilemma to ask you about. Someone I know, let’s call him Henry (who is also a Buddhist) recently went to the pet store and saw this “bearded dragon” lizard which he felt sorry for and so he bought it and brought it home. Normally, this would be a good thing since it was Henry’s intention to simply take care of the lizard and give it a good home, since the lizard looked sad and miserable at the pet store. Unfortunately, the lizard diet requires that he be fed live baby crickets for hi protein needs. Apparently lizards can’t eat dead things and need some protein for their normal growth. I told Henry that this is really bad, especially for Henry’s karma and the poor crickets. So I told Henry to set the lizard into the wild and let it survive on its own. Henry says that according to his research, 90% of lizards bred in captivity die in the wild. So Henry cannot, in good conscience, set the lizard into the wild, basically giving him a death sentence. Henry does not want this since he cares for the lizard. I then told Henry to give the lizard away to another family. Henry says that this will also cause someone else to have bad karma since the lizard’s dietary needs will be the same. There seems to be no good solution. Would you please comment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Killing] [Food]


The Path of Practice, Session 2 – Jun. 16, 2019

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1. “In Canada, medical assistance in death is legal. As an old person who will be sick and dying not too far off, it raises the question: If I got to the point where I felt even with good palliative and hospice care, I couldn’t withstand the pain any longer, it’s an option. But what about the first precept of not taking life?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness] [Pain] [Health care] [Euthanasia] [Killing] // [Relinquishment] [Self-identity view] [Idealism]

Quote: “Being present for the falling apart of the body opens doorways to release that don’t really happen with, ‘I just want to be done with this. This totally sucks.’” [Present moment awareness] [Death] [Mindfulness of body] [Release] [Aversion] [Fear] [Clinging] [Saṃsāra]


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3. “According to the first precept, how would you look at the case of abortion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Killing] [Abortion] // [Vinaya] [Politics and society] [Judgementalism] [Health care]


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4. “What about animal euthanasia?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Euthanasia] [Killing] // [Compassion] [Sickness] [Ageing]