Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pc 55Scaring
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhiṁsāpana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
An Explanation of the Bhiṁsāpana Sutta (The Sutta on Causing Fear)
Background
The Bhiṁsāpana Sutta (Pāli: Bhiṁsāpana, provisionally translated “Causing Fear”) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Buddhadharma tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka is a collection of ethical rules and monastic discipline, compiled to maintain the purity and harmony of the community of monks and nuns.
The background of this discourse arises from practical problems in early monastic life. When the Buddha’s disciples established rules to protect the Sangha, upāsakas, lay followers of the path, and some practitioners failed to observe them or engaged in disruptive actions. These behaviors included using words or actions intended to frighten others, or deliberately causing another person to fall into a state of fear in order to achieve one’s purpose.
The discourse is presented in the form of decisions by the Buddha and the Sangha, intended to determine which behaviors are considered violations and need to be handled according to the rules of Parivāsa, disciplinary isolation, or Pātimokkha, individual entries in the code.
Main Content
The Bhiṁsāpana Sutta focuses on acts of “causing fear” (bhiṁsāpana) in the context of the monastic community. These are not accidental acts, but deliberate gestures or words intended to make others feel afraid, threatened, or psychologically unsafe.
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, these actions are regarded as violations of the basic ethical principles of bhikkhu vinaya. Specifically, they violate the vows concerning compassion, friendliness (mettā), and non-harming (ahiṁsā). In the Early Buddhist tradition, causing fear in others is regarded as an act that breaks the harmony of the Sangha.
The discourse states that bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs who engage in this conduct must undertake corrective measures.
🌏 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.