Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Pc 8Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhūtārocana
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THE SUTTA ON TRUTHFULLY ANNOUNCING SUPERHUMAN ATTAINMENT
Background
The Bhūtārocana Sutta (Truthful Announcement) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pāṭimokkha Saṃvara, the common discipline of the Theravāda tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka is where the rules of practice and discipline for the Sangha are recorded, built upon the ethical principles the Buddha set forth from the time the Sangha was established.
This sutta was taught to address a serious problem in the monastic community: falsehood in declaring superhuman attainments (abhiññā or abhijñā) that one does not actually possess. In the context of early Buddhism, superhuman attainments were regarded as true results of the work of practice — including six kinds: psychic powers, divine eye, knowledge of others’ minds, recollection of past lives, divine ear, and the destruction of the taints. Making a false declaration about these attainments is not only an act of lying, but also the committing of one of the greatest offenses in monastic law, such as Saṅghādisesa or Pācittiya.
Main Content
The sutta prescribes that any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who declares, or allows others to declare, that they have attained supernormal powers that they do not actually possess commits a particular offense under the Vinaya Piṭaka. The “truth” (bhūta) here is understood in the direct sense: only what has actually occurred in the mind and experience of the practitioner may be publicly declared.
The superhuman knowledges (abhiññā) mentioned in the sutta are not vague spiritual phenomena or subjective experiences open to dispute. They are clear, verifiable powers arising from deep concentration (samādhi), wisdom (paññā), and perfect morality (sīla). Therefore falsehood concerning them is a direct denial of the foundation of Buddhist practice.
The sutta also implicitly points out an important principle: no act of falsehood should be treated lightly, even if it seems small.
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