Lzh Dg Bu Pm Pj 4Laying False Claim to Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uttarimanussadhamma
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SUTRA ON FALSELY CLAIMING SUPERNATURAL POWERS
Background
Uttarimanussadhamma, a Pāli term meaning “states beyond the human” or “supernormal powers,” is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddha’s Dharma, specifically the Pātimokkha, the code of rules. This sutra was recorded in the early development of the community, when the Buddha needed to establish regulatory rules to protect the integrity of the monastic community.
During this period, matters of ethics and honesty became urgent. Some monks or nuns might make extraordinary claims, claims about superhuman states, or claim that they had attained supernormal meditative states or wisdom beyond the limits of ordinary human beings, even though in fact they did not possess such attainments. Such false claims deeply harmed the trust of beings and weakened the teaching.
Main Content
Uttarimanussadhamma forbids monks and nuns from falsely claiming that they have attained states beyond the human. These “supernormal states” include jhāna, abhiññā, the six higher knowledges such as psychic power, divine ear, knowledge of others’ minds, recollection of past lives, divine eye, and the knowledge of the destruction of the taints, as well as the highest states such as nirvana (nibbāna) and arhatship.
This Vinaya rule clearly establishes that if a monastic falsely claims to have attained any supernormal state that they have not actually attained, this is an especially grave offense. The purpose of the rule is not to prevent monastics who truly attain noble states from doing so, but to protect sincerity and prevent deception, actions that directly violate the faith and trust of students.
This rule reflects a profound principle in the Buddha’s Dharma: truth (sacca) and honesty (saccakiriya) are the foundation of all ethical practice. Without trustworthiness, no true Dharma can be transmitted.
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