Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Dh Pc 84The Dark of the Night
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rattandhakāra
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Rattandhakāra Sutta: The Darkness of Night
Background
Rattandhakāra (The Darkness of Night) is a Vinaya sutta belonging to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma. The sutta is found in the Pātimokkha, the precepts, specifically in the category of Pārājika violations, offenses leading to exclusion from the Sangha. It is one of the core Vinaya texts guiding the four gravest offenses that a bhikkhu cannot remedy.
The title “The Darkness of Night” is symbolic: it points to the darkness of actions contrary to the Buddha-Dharma, the dark things in the spiritual life of a practitioner. In the context of the Theravāda school, preserving sīla, the precepts, is regarded as an essential foundation for attaining the goal of liberation.
Main Content
The Rattandhakāra Sutta discusses especially grave prohibited actions in the Vinaya Piṭaka, matters that, if committed by a bhikkhu, make it impossible for him to continue living in the Sangha. These violations are described as “darkness,” impossible to erase by any means other than abandoning monastic status.
In the Pāli Canon, Pārājika is considered through the principle of consciousness (cetanā) and bodily action (kāya-kamma). The sutta emphasizes that violation is not only a material action but also a matter of intention, sensual desire, and greed. These “darknesses” include acts that violate integrity and destroy the ethical nature of the practitioner.
The sutta may also relate to latent dangers in practice: just as the darkness of night covers vision, these wrong actions cover the light of the Buddha-Dharma in our minds. Deep understanding of these precepts is not meant to create fear, but to help practitioners clearly recognize the steps they take on the path of liberation.
Practical Meaning
For those practicing according to the Theravāda tradition, Rattandhakāra reminds us of the importance of sīla-sampadā, perfection in the precepts.
🌏 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.