Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Pc 55Scaring

Bhiṁsāpana Sutta (The Sutta on Fear)

Background

The Bhiṁsāpana Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the basic monastic discipline of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This is one of the texts prescribing the ethics and discipline of the Sangha, spoken directly by the Buddha in the course of his teaching.

This sutta is recorded in the context of the Dharma’s need to build a monastic community following definite principles. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a collection of prohibitions, but an expression of the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariyamagga) in communal life. Each rule of discipline arose from specific situations in which disciples or bhikkhus acted improperly, and the Buddha then set forth a rule to correct them.

The title “Bhiṁsāpana” (Scaring, causing fear or threatening) points to a specific behavior: using words or gestures to cause fear, threaten, or make others anxious. In the Vinaya context, this is conduct that violates the spirit of compassion and respect in the Teaching.

Main Content

The Bhiṁsāpana Sutta deals with the problem of bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs using words or actions that cause fear in others. Such behavior may include harsh speech, severe warnings, or even acts that appear threatening, intended to control, punish, or coerce others.

This training rule arose when the Buddha discovered that some bhikkhus had used this method to manage juniors or to achieve their own ends. Even if the initial motives may not have been evil, the method of causing fear contradicts the spirit of loving-kindness (mettā) and the basic benevolence of the Buddha’s teaching.

The Buddha prescribed that such behavior is an offense, and any bhikkhu who acts in this way must acknowledge the fault and cultivate correction again.