Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pj 4Laying False Claim to Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Uttarimanussadhamma
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THE SUTRA ON CLAIMING WHAT IS BEYOND THE HUMAN
Background
This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, especially the section of disciplinary regulations (Pātimokkha) for monks and nuns. Uttarimanussadhamma, claims to attainments beyond the human, is one of the gravest prohibitions, connected with honesty and integrity within the Sangha community.
The formation of this sutra is related to events in the Buddha’s time. As Buddhism developed, some people were drawn by fame, influence, or the desire for illicit gain and falsely claimed spiritual attainments they had not realized. They boasted of attaining lofty meditative states (dhyāna), siddhis (supernormal powers), or even the stages of the noble ones, though they had not truly realized them. To protect the purity of the Dharma and the honor of the Sangha, the Buddha established this prohibition.
Main Content
The prohibition concerning Uttarimanussadhamma states that any monk or nun who declares or boasts, or allows others to boast, that they have attained states beyond the human, such as nirvana, the fruits (Phala), the paths (Magga), or supreme meditative states, when in reality they have not attained them, commits a Pārājika offense, that is, an act leading to expulsion from the Sangha.
The sutra specifically identifies the forbidden claims: boasting that one is an arhat, has entered nirvana, or has attained levels of supernormal power. Even if a monk has a good intention but utters boastful words or allows himself to be falsely praised, it is still regarded as a violation. The difference from other prohibitions is that here the Buddha is very strict: there are no mitigating circumstances and no opportunity for penance in early Buddhism.
The deeper reason is that the trust of the community depends upon purity and honesty. When people claim to be noble sages without truly possessing spiritual conduct, they harm the faith of Buddhists and weaken the standards of practice.
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