Lzh Mi Bu Pm Pc 60Eavesdropping
Pāli / Sanskrit:Upassuti
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THE DISCOURSE ON LISTENING SECRETLY (Upassuti)
Background
The Upassuti discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the rules of the Sangha. It is one of the disciplinary training rules concerning actions that violate the virtue of a bhikkhu.
This discourse arose from a specific event when bhikkhus who were still beginners in practice engaged in subtle but improper actions. The Buddha saw that secretly listening to private conversations, especially conversations within the Sangha or among lay people, had become a way of harming trust and purity in the community. It is a subtle action of the desire to control, curiosity, and disrespect for the boundaries of others.
Main Content
The Upassuti discourse stipulates that any bhikkhu or bhikkhuni who intentionally listens secretly to the private conversations of others, whether between two people or among many, without permission, violates a Pātimokkha rule.
The act of "secretly listening" (upassuti) is not simply hearing something unintentionally. It includes deliberately concealing oneself, or using means to eavesdrop on what one has not been invited to hear. Intention (cetanā) is the key factor: the bhikkhu must intentionally carry out this action, knowing that it is an intrusion.
This rule applies to all situations: whether secretly listening to conversations of other bhikkhus, of lay people, or to any conversation in which the person has not been accepted as a participant. If a bhikkhu performs this action, he must report it to the Sangha and undergo the corresponding discipline according to the degree of violation.
Practical Meaning
The Upassuti discourse teaches us the importance of respecting the personal boundaries and privacy of others. In the context of practice, this has profound meaning: respect is not only an external action, but the expression of a pure mind, without craving and without inward curiosity.
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