Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 49Travelling With Thieves
Pāli / Sanskrit:Theyyasattha
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THE THEYYASATTHA SUTTA (TRAVELING WITH THIEVES)
Background
The Theyyasattha Sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha collection (Pāli: Pācittiya), the detailed training rules for bhikkhus. This sutta arose from a specific situation at Sāvatthī, where the Buddha was teaching. A group of bhikkhus traveled together with people who intended to steal, either not knowing or deliberately ignoring the unlawful nature of their traveling companions.
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the part of the canon that records ethical and disciplinary rules for male and female monastics. Rather than merely stating prohibitions, the Vinaya Piṭaka recounts the background from which each rule arose, enabling students to understand clearly the purpose and profound meaning behind it.
Main Content
The Theyyasattha Sutta addresses a subtle ethical issue: does a bhikkhu violate the discipline if he travels together with a group later known to be thieves? The question is not about a direct act of theft by the bhikkhu, but about association, participation in a journey that ultimately serves an unlawful purpose.
The Buddha taught that these bhikkhus had violated a Pācittiya rule (Pāli: “requiring confession”), one of the basic ethical rules. This violation did not arise from a directly wicked action, but from lack of caution, lack of heedfulness (appamāda), and lack of careful selection of traveling companions. The bhikkhus allowed their minds to be influenced by the environment and by those around them, instead of maintaining alertness and purity.
This sutta emphasizes that in the Buddhist path, not only direct action is important, but also volition (cetanā), the choice of friends, and the circumstances in which one participates all carry profound ethical meaning. A monastic must always be watchful regarding the potential effects of the environment upon his spiritual life.
Practical Meaning
The Theyyasattha Sutta teaches us an important lesson about alertness and choice.
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