The Essence of Ethic in Practice of Bodily Seclusion (KÄ yaviveka): A Buddhist Perspective

Although there have been several traditional interpretations to the notion of bodily seclusion (kÄ yaviveka) in original sources, research on the notion of physical solitude from Buddhist ethical perspective lacks a detailed study of the subject. A common view of a lone dweller is to find a suitable place for spiritual practice where nothing is physically disturbing the practitioners. It is temporarily or occasionally practices of live alone in order to focus on an appearance of the natural of reality. However, the practice of bodily seclusion (kÄ yaviveka) with the absent of ethic can have challenges in Buddhist spiritual practice. It is found that early Buddhist discourses report the three processes of mental training, namely, Sila, Samadhi, and panna. The Sila is considered fundamental prerequisite or the first phase of Dhamma practice. The objective of this paper is to explore the challenges in practice of bodily seclusion, looking at how it connects to the nature of Buddhist ethics in the context of withdrawing from desirable things and entering to secluded dwelling. This paper argues that the only practice of bodily seclusion is insufficient if a practitioner ignores the purification of morality which required in the practice of physical seclusion in order to achieve spiritual seclusion. The current study is qualitative research. Collecting data and data analysis regarding the relevant context was from Theravada texts, Pali Canon and its commentaries, and sub-commentaries.