Panatipata

[asahi]

Hi Pali teachers ,

Does panatipata means breathing things or life/being or both are same ?



According to dictionary .

Panatipata is derived from the word 'pana' and 'atipata'. 'Pana' means 'being or life' and 'atipata' means 'end rapidly'. So, Panatipata means 'cause an end to a being or life rapidly' and shortly means 'killing'. Generally, a being is a living creature. For example, human, animal, plant, and microorganism.

[Sam Vara]

The pāṇa bit means "breath" (it's there in anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing) or life, and by extension means living thing; literally, "breather". Atipāta means to attack or destroy, so in the precept one literally refrains from destroying breathing beings. That's how it is normally understood by those who take the precepts. Anything that we would think of as alive but not breathing - bacteria, viruses, eggs, plants, etc. - are not included.