San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Pc 71Travelling With Thieves
Pāli / Sanskrit:Theyyasattha
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
SUTTA ON ACCOMPANYING THIEVES
(Theyyasattha — Vinaya Pitaka)
Background
The Theyyasattha sutta is found in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Theravada tradition, among the disciplinary regulations of the Sangha. The context arose when monks in the early Buddhist community encountered a complex ethical situation: could one travel together with people not connected to the Sangha who engaged in wrongful actions, such as thieves or lawbreakers?
This is a principled question concerning social association and the moral responsibility of bhikkhus. The Buddha and the elders of the Sangha had to consider carefully the relationship between personal practice, interaction with the secular world, and the image of the monastic community.
Main Content
The sutta lays down that bhikkhus and bhikkhunis should not travel together or regularly associate with those reputed to be thieves or criminals. The reason is not merely fear of a direct bad influence upon the mind, though this too is important, but chiefly to avoid confusion and scandal concerning the honor of the Sangha in the eyes of the public.
This rule reflects the principle of “Sambodhi” — lucid self-awareness not only inwardly, but also in outward conduct. A bhikkhu who goes together with thieves, even without taking part in unlawful acts, creates a false impression: others may believe that the Buddhist community tolerates or even colludes with wrongful behavior. This diminishes people’s faith and harms the ability to spread the Dharma.
However, the sutta also does not include this in an absolute way. If there are chance encounters on the road, or a legitimate purpose, such as trying to protect or guide that person back to the right path, then it is not an offense. The crucial point is intention and regularity.
Practical Meaning
This principle is not narrow-minded or cold toward society.
🌏 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.