Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Pc 7Truthfully Announcing Superhuman Attainments
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhūtārocana
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BHŪTĀROCANA SUTTA: TRUTHFUL ANNOUNCEMENT OF SUPERHUMAN DHARMAS
Background
The Bhūtārocana Sutta, truthful announcement of superhuman dharmas, is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection governing the discipline of the Buddhist Sangha. The principal purpose of the discourse is to establish ethical rules for monastics in order to prevent false conduct concerning superhuman dharmas, noble attainments in the practice of the Buddha-Dharma.
In the context of the early Buddhist community, there were bhikkhus who, greedy for fame and gain or wishing to occupy a higher status in practice, claimed to possess superhuman powers (abhiññā), such as concentration, psychic abilities, or extraordinary wisdom. Such false claims seriously harmed the image of the Sangha and caused followers of the Buddha-Dharma to lose trust. Therefore, the Buddha established a pācittiya, an offense requiring confession, to prohibit this conduct absolutely.
Main Content
The Bhūtārocana Sutta states that if any bhikkhu announces or declares that he has attained superhuman dharmas, such as noble spiritual powers, when in fact he has not truly attained them, that act is a pācittiya offense. What is important is the word "bhūta" — true, real — implying that only declarations consistent with the truth are permitted.
This principle does not merely forbid lying. It also emphasizes that monastics must live in sincerity and truthfulness (satya, saccakāra). Confession (pācittiya) for this fault requires the bhikkhu to admit the error before the Sangha and practice greater care in speech.
The superhuman dharmas mentioned by the discourse include spiritual powers, concentration, transcendent wisdom, noble spiritual states, and manifestations of the True Dharma (Saddhamma). Falsehood concerning such attainments is considered a violation of monastic ethics because it breaks trust and the genuine purpose of practice.
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