DiscoverSNSN 45–56SN 56SN 56.71

The Buddha teaches the four noble truths regarding killing living creatures, urging mendicants to practice for direct knowledge of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

SN 56.71 Killing Living Creatures

… “Evameva kho, bhikkhave, appakā te sattā ye pāṇātipātā paṭiviratā; atha kho eteva bahutarā sattā ye pāṇātipātā appaṭiviratā. Taṁ kissa hetu? …pe….

Paṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

… “Evameva kho, bhikkhave, appakā te sattā ye pāṇātipātā paṭiviratā; atha kho eteva bahutarā sattā ye pāṇātipātā appaṭiviratā.

“… the sentient beings who refrain from killing living creatures are few, while those who don’t refrain are many. …”

Taṁ kissa hetu? …pe….

Paṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Slaughtering

Slaughtering

☁️ dark quality

The deliberate killing of a living being, carried out with the intention of ending its life while disregarding its natural drive to continue living.

Also known as: killing, murdering, taking life
Pāli: pāṇātipāta
View all discourses →
Wisdom

Wisdom

☀️ bright quality

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026

View Pāli source ↗