Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 6Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhūtārocana
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An Explanation of the Bhūtārocana Sutta
Background
The Bhūtārocana Sutta (Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, in the Pātimokkha (Pāli: Pāṭimokkha), the detailed code for bhikkhus. This sutta concerns one of the gravest faults in Buddhist conduct: falsely speaking or boasting about superhuman attainments (iddhi-pāṭihāriya).
The background arose when disciple bhikkhus, through greed or pride, falsely declared that they had attained extraordinary powers such as psychic abilities, the divine eye, the divine ear, or exalted states of concentration. The Buddha, the Blessed One, gave a stern warning about this conduct, because it violates the spirit of truthfulness (sacca) in the Noble Path and deceives sentient beings. Therefore, in the Pātimokkha, falsely claiming superhuman attainments (iddhi-anubhāva) is included among the gravest offenses (pārājika or thitcamatta, depending on the tradition).
Main Content
The sutta states clearly: if a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī falsely declares that he or she has realized superhuman attainments, whatever the intention may be, that act is regarded as one of the serious faults in religious conduct. These superhuman attainments include: (1) psychic powers (iddhi-siddhis), such as flying through the air or entering the earth; (2) the divine eye (cakkhum-iddhi), the ability to see beyond ordinary vision; (3) the divine ear (sotam-iddhi), hearing from afar; (4) paracittam-iddhi, knowing the minds of others.
The sutta emphasizes that falsely speaking of these things is fundamentally wrong because, first, it violates sīla, the discipline of truthfulness; second, it harms the faith of sentient beings in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; and third, if such powers have truly been attained, false speech is unnecessary, while if they have not been attained, claiming them is blatant deceit. Even those who truly possess psychic powers, such as certain arhats or practitioners highly accomplished in concentration, are not permitted to publicly use or display these abilities in order to attract sentient beings.
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