Lzh Mu Bi Pm Sk 82Off the Path
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uppathenagamana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
THE SUTTA ON LEAVING THE PATH (Uppathenagamana)
Background
The Uppathenagamana Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition of the Buddhadharma, the precious collection of discipline recording the rules of practice for the Buddhist Sangha. This sutta arose from a specific situation encountered by disciples of the Buddha’s path in the course of study, practice, and communal life.
The story begins with the event of bhikkhus arbitrarily leaving the proper main road to go in other directions, or acting in ways not in accord with the discipline of the Sangha. This is an issue related to observance in collective practice, because any action of an individual member affects the harmony and trust of the monastic community.
The Buddha witnessed or came to know of these events, and therefore gave teachings and prohibitions to educate his disciples about the importance of discipline, responsibility, and sincerity toward the Teaching. The Vinaya Piṭaka was thus established to preserve the clarity and discipline of the Sangha.
Main Content
The Uppathenagamana Sutta centers on the issue of bhikkhus leaving the orthodox path of practice to follow other paths. “Off the Path” here carries a broader meaning of conduct that violates discipline or fails to accord with the prescribed way of life for those gone forth.
Specifically, this sutta may relate to bhikkhus who do not follow the rules concerning the actions, speech, or way of life of a properly ordained bhikkhu. They may have engaged in unsuitable activities, or failed to follow the guidance set forth by the Buddha and the Sangha. This may include abandoning wholesome practices or taking part in conduct not befitting the robe of one who has gone forth.
The Buddha teaches that observing these rules and instructions is not a meaningless imposition, but a path leading to liberation. When a person leaves the proper path, he not only affects himself but also harms the trust and harmony of the entire Sangha.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.