San Sarv Bu Pm Tf 11 Pc 1Lying
Pāli / Sanskrit:Musāvāda
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THE SUTTA ON LYING (MUSĀVĀDA)
Background
The Sutta on Lying belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition and is recorded in the Pācittiya collection, training rules whose violation by bhikkhus entails pācittiya, a penalty lighter than expulsion. This teaching was given by the Buddha in the context of organizing the monastic community, in order to build a pure way of practice based on truthfulness.
The Buddha observed that among the bhikkhus there were acts of lying and crooked speech, leading to the loss of faith among Buddhist devotees and causing harm to practice. Therefore, he established a clear rule concerning the offense of lying, especially lying about spiritual attainments (iddhi, supernormal abilities) and experiences in practice.
Main Content
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the offense of lying (musāvāda) is defined as a bhikkhu intentionally speaking words that are untrue in order to gain advantage or conceal the truth. In particular, the teaching emphasizes the case of a bhikkhu lying about nonexistent attainments in practice, such as claiming to have psychic powers or deep states of concentration that he has never actually attained.
Such lying is not merely a harmless mistake, but a violation of the spirit of the Buddha-Dharma. Because the Dhamma is built upon the foundation of sati, mindfulness, and yoniso manasikāra, proper attention, concealing truth and distorting facts directly oppose these principles.
The rule states that if a bhikkhu commits this offense, he must openly confess before the Sangha and accept the Pācittiya penalty, that is, he must perform the required expiation for a determined period. This is not meant as harsh punishment, but to restore the purity of the Sangha and of that person’s own mind.
Practical Meaning
The Sutta on Lying is not only for bhikkhus; its deeper lesson applies to anyone who studies the Buddha-Dharma. Truthfulness (saccavāda) is one of the noblest virtues in Buddhism.
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