Lzh Mi Bu Pm Pc 8Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhūtārocana
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THE DISCOURSE ON TRUTHFULLY DECLARING SUPERHUMAN POWERS
(Bhūtārocana - Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments)
Background
Bhūtārocana is an important pārājika in the Theravāda Vinaya Pitaka, recorded in detail in the disciplinary chapters of the Sangha. Pārājika means "a grave offense leading to complete defeat," the most serious disciplinary violations that a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni can commit.
The Bhūtārocana discourse revolves around the issue of falsely claiming superhuman powers (abhiññā) or exalted states of practice. In the context of early Buddhism, claiming to possess powers such as psychic abilities, divine knowledge, or to have attained the fruits of arhatship when one had not actually done so was considered a violation of fundamental ethics and discipline. This is not merely ordinary lying, but an abuse of the trust of practitioners and the Buddhist community.
Buddhism always emphasizes truthfulness and directness in speech. Falsifying spiritual attainments is an act that destroys the foundation of trust in the Sangha and causes the faith of solitary practitioners and students to decline.
Main Content
The Bhūtārocana discourse was established to protect the integrity of the Sangha by prohibiting false declarations about spiritual powers. Specifically, if a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni declares, whether indirectly or directly, that he or she has attained such fruits as stream-entry (Sotāpanna), once-returning (Sakadāgāmi), non-returning (Anāgāmi), or arhatship, or possesses superhuman abilities such as psychic power (iddhisiddhi), the divine eye (dibba-cakkhu), or the divine ear (dibba-sota), but later admits that the declaration was untrue, that action is regarded as pārājika, the gravest offense.
The important point is that the Buddhadharma does not forbid monastics from speaking of spiritual states they have truly attained, provided they speak truthfully and in the proper context.
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