Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 7Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhūtārocana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Commentary on the Bhūtārocana Sutta
Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments
Background
The Bhūtārocana Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, within the Pācittiya section—the rules of training concerning minor offences requiring confession and expiation. This sutta addresses a profound ethical matter: the false declaration of supernatural powers, known as "iddhi" (iddhisiddhi), within Theravāda Buddhism.
The historical context of this sutta originates from specific incidents within the monastic community during the time of the Buddha. Certain monastics, wishing to enhance their reputation or to inspire confidence in others, falsely claimed to possess superhuman powers such as: seeing the unlimited, hearing the unlimited, or knowing the minds of others (abhiññā). Such claims not only violated proper conduct but also betrayed the trust of the faithful and brought dishonor upon the Dharma.
Principal Content
The sutta establishes that a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who declares—whether by word, gesture, or description—that they possess superhuman powers which they do not in fact possess, commits a Pācittiya offence. This encompasses:
First, making a declaration, whether public or private, with the intent that others believe one possesses powers one does not have.
Second, describing or suggesting such powers indirectly—for instance, relating events that purportedly "occurred," while in fact employing contradictions to conceal the truth.
Third, regardless of motivation—whether wishing to encourage the faithful or to conceal other transgressions—any false declaration concerning superhuman abilities constitutes a violation.
However, the sutta also prescribes an exception: if a person genuinely possesses such powers (which are the natural fruit of deep meditation and ethical cultivation), then a truthful declaration of this constitutes no violation. Yet this is considered exceedingly rare, and the Buddha consistently counselled his disciples neither to exercise nor to display such powers as a means of proving the Dharma.
Practical Significance
The Bhūtārocana Sutta reminds us that in Theravāda Buddhism, truth (sacca) is the very foundation of ethical conduct.
🌏 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.