Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Pj 4Laying False Claim to Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uttarimanussadhamma
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Uttarimanussadhamma Sutta: Not Claiming Superhuman Attainments
Background
Uttarimanussadhamma (तत्तरिमनुस्सधम्म) is a disciplinary rule in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This discourse belongs to the body of regulations concerning the conduct of bhikkhus, those who have gone forth, within the Sangha community, especially in relation to verification and honesty in claims about spiritual progress.
The historical background of this discourse reflects the challenges faced by the Sangha community in the early period after the Buddha’s Nirvana. As the Dharma spread, certain monastics appeared who claimed to possess supernormal powers (abhiññā), such as miraculous power (iddhisiddhi), the divine ear (dibbasota), and knowledge of others’ minds (cetopariyañāṇa), while in reality they did not. This caused confusion, loss of trust among Buddhist devotees, and a belittling of the Dharma.
Main Content
Uttarimanussadhamma directly concerns the prohibition against a bhikkhu lying about supernormal powers or spiritual states beyond those of ordinary human beings. These are not ordinary abilities that anyone may develop through meditation and practice, but special manifestations of concentrated mind (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā).
According to the rule, if a bhikkhu declares that he has attained Ariyasacchikiriyaṃ, realization such as stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, or arahantship, the practical fruits of the path of Dharma, when in fact he has not, or if he boasts of supernormal powers that are not real, he violates a rule affecting his standing in the Sangha community. This violation is regarded as grave because it strikes at the authenticity of the teaching.
The discourse not only forbids lying, but also emphasizes that liberation and the fruits of practice must be verified through genuine understanding, not through false speech or fabrication. If a bhikkhu has truly attained these states, with a witness or clear evidence, only then does a declaration have value.
Practical Meaning
The Uttarimanussadhamma Sutta teaches us a profound lesson about truthfulness in spiritual practice.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.