Lzh Mi Bu Pm Pc 12Evasive Speech
Pāli / Sanskrit:Aññavādaka
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THE SUTTA ON EVASIVE SPEECH
Aññavādaka Sutta
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, the Aññavādaka Sutta addresses an important matter of monastic discipline and honesty in speech. This context arises when the Buddha and the Sangha need to determine the boundary between blameworthy conduct and legitimate exceptions.
Evasive speech (aññavādaka) consists of words that avoid the issue, replies that are unclear, or statements deliberately causing confusion when one is asked about a matter. In the context of the Sangha, this kind of speech is especially harmful because it breaks trust, conceals the truth, and contradicts the spirit of utter directness on the path of Buddhist practice. The sutta is found in the Pātimokkha, the basic rules for bhikkhus, where the offenses that one gone forth must avoid are defined.
Main Content
The Aññavādaka Sutta emphasizes that when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī is asked directly about something they have done or witnessed, they are not permitted to give unclear, evasive, or deliberately misleading answers. This conduct is considered an offense within the Sangha, though the degree of consideration differs according to the specific context.
Complete honesty is the foundation of the Sangha, the monastic community. If the members cannot trust that those around them will speak the truth, then the unity, discipline, and harmony of the Sangha will be harmed. Evasive speech, although it may seem gentler than direct lying, still contains the same spirit of concealment and betrayal.
This sutta also considers more complex situations: are there special cases in which absolute honesty does not apply? Yet according to the spirit of the Vinaya, for a bhikkhu who has personally committed himself to the discipline of the precepts, the answer is very clear: one must speak the truth directly and plainly.
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