Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 12Evasive Speech

AÑÑAVĀDAKA SUTTA (Evasive Speech)

Background

Aññavādaka (Pāli: aña = other, vādaka = speaker) is one of the disciplinary texts in the Pātimokkha of the Theravāda tradition, located in the Pācittiya section, the offenses requiring confession. This sutta appears in the context of early monastic administration, when the Buddha established rules of conduct to protect the purity of the Sangha. It reflects real situations among bhikkhus, where disputes, misunderstandings, and indirect speech caused division in the monastic community.

The deeper background of this rule relates to specific events in the life of the Sangha, where some bhikkhus tried to avoid direct responsibility when criticized for faults, instead using evasive, confused, or irrelevant speech. Rather than acknowledging or explaining clearly, they evaded by saying other things off the point or declaring that the questioner had misstated their words.

Main Content

The Aññavādaka Sutta states that a bhikkhu must not use evasive speech (aññavāda)—that is, he must not answer questions related to his own actions or statements by speaking about entirely different matters or by lying about the questioner’s intention. Specifically, if a bhikkhu is directly asked about a particular action or statement, he must answer truthfully and must not declare, “The questioner has not stated my meaning correctly,” when in fact the questioner has spoken accurately.

This offense is regarded as Pācittiya, an offense requiring confession before another bhikkhu. It is not a grave offense such as Pārājika or Saṅghādisesa, but it reflects a lack of honesty in speech, something the Buddha-Dharma especially emphasizes. The Aññavādaka Sutta does not serve the purpose of concealing truth or defending the self, but creates a monastic environment in which honesty is the foundation of interaction and dispute resolution.

Practical Meaning

The Aññavādaka Sutta teaches us a profound lesson about the value of truthful language.