Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pj 4Laying False Claim to Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uttarimanussadhamma
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Explanation of the Uttarimanussadhamma Sutta (Claiming Superhuman Qualities)
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, expressing the legal discipline for the daily life and cultivation of Buddhist monks and nuns. Uttarimanussadhamma in Pāli, or “superhuman qualities,” is a very important rule related to truthfulness and the integrity of Buddhist teachers.
In the context of the early monastic community (Saṅgha), the Buddha and his disciples encountered a problem of abuse: people gone forth, or those presenting themselves as exalted practitioners, claimed to possess psychic powers, spiritual abilities, or sacred attainments (uttarimanussadhamma) that in fact they had not attained. This harmed the reputation of the Buddha’s Dharma and the welfare of those who had faith.
This rule was established to protect the purity of the Saṅgha and maintain the trust of the community of devotees. It reflects the Buddha’s deep concern for honesty and self-examination in practice.
Main Content
The sutta clearly states that a monk or bhikkhunī is not permitted to exalt, announce, or claim that they have attained forms of superhuman qualities, including:
First, psychic powers (iddhi): the ability to transform the body, fly through the air, or change form at will. Second, spiritual abilities such as hearing sounds from afar or knowing the thoughts of others. Third, attainments in practice such as having realized the fruits of the noble ones, arhat, Anāgāmī, Sakadāgāmī, or Sotāpanna, or having gone beyond defilements. Fourth, other abilities connected with divine or supernatural power that the practitioner has not actually attained.
The act of claiming these false qualities is considered a serious violation of the discipline. It not only violates the precept (sīla) of truthfulness, but also infringes one of the basic ethical factors of Buddhism. This rule applies to all members of the Saṅgha without exception, regardless of whether they have attained any accomplishment or not.
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