Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Pc 78Disrespect

The Sutta on Disrespect (Anādariya)

Background

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the foundational component of the traditional Pāli Canon of Theravāda. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the code of discipline of the monastic community, built upon rules of conduct intended to protect the monastic community from unwholesome things. Vinaya texts often arise from specific events in the life of the Buddha and his earliest disciples, where inappropriate conduct was observed and then identified by the Buddha as an offense (āpatti).

The word “anādariya” (a-nā-dariya) is formed from the negative prefix “a-” joined to “ādariya” (respect, reverence), indicating a condition of disrespect, contempt, or absence of a reverent heart. In the context of the Vinaya, this is a mental conduct that can lead to the breakdown of Sangha discipline and weaken the quality of communal practice.

Main Content

Although the detailed content of this sutta has not yet been fully translated, according to the general context of the Pāli Vinaya, regulations concerning anādariya, disrespect, usually relate to the conduct of monastics toward senior officials, great elders, or the ceremonies and rules of the Sangha.

Disrespect in the Vinaya is not merely a matter of outward attitude, but an expression of a mental state lacking reverence (anādariya-citta). A disrespectful monastic may fail to perform ceremonies properly, fail to listen to the teachings of those senior to them, or make light of the basic principles of the path of practice.

In the Theravāda tradition, respect (ādariya) is considered an important factor for mental concentration (samādhi) and a prerequisite for accomplishment in practice. When this factor is absent, the process of cultivation encounters obstacles both mentally and communally.

Practical Meaning

From the perspective of Early Buddhist practice, the sutta on anādariya reminds us that respect is not blind submission, but the expression of a lucid, upright, and reverent mind.