Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 78Concealed Places

THE DISCOURSE ON CONCEALED PLACES (Paṭicchannokāsa)

Background

This discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Pātimokkha Samvarabhaṇḍa section. Paṭicchannokāsa, provisionally translated as "concealed place," is one of the violations recorded in the formation of the code for monks and nuns.

The background is set when the Buddha's disciples studied and lived in the community of monks and nuns and needed to observe rules to protect the purity of practice. These violations are not extremely grave actions, but they relate to lack of honesty, concealing conduct, and lack of transparency in managing matters related to monastic status.

The Vinaya Piṭaka records how the Buddha taught the disciples to recognize these matters through specific cases, and from them set forth principles for governing conduct.

Main Content

Paṭicchannokāsa concerns concealing or storing away things that should not be concealed, or the act of hiding what needs to be made public in Buddhism. In the Vinaya Piṭaka context, a "concealed place" (paṭicchanna = covered, okāsa = place) refers to psychological or material actions that a monastic has deliberately hidden from the Sangha.

Specific situations recorded in the Pāli Canon include cases in which monastics intentionally conceal property, fail to declare fully, or cover up faults. This violates the basic Pañcasīla, the foundational ethical principles, especially the principle of not lying (musāvāda).

The discourse clearly points out that these acts of concealment not only harm the clarity of the individual monastic, but also undermine trust among monks and nuns. The Buddha taught that transparency and truthfulness are the foundation of pure practice. The Vinaya Piṭaka therefore sets forth clear principles: a monastic must make public matters related to property, conduct, and the state of one's practice.