Xct Mu Bu Vb Pc 83Deception
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mohana
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The Mohana Sutta (Deception) - Explanation of the Vinaya
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, Mohana, deception, is classified as a serious Pātimokkha violation within the Pācittiya category, offenses requiring confession and correction. This sutta appears in the context in which the Buddha and the early venerable elders established discipline in the Sangha, in order to protect the clarity and morality of the monastic community.
Deception, mohana, is not ordinary lying, but the act of concealing or obscuring the truth, especially deliberately concealing one’s own fault or another’s before the community and the discipline. This is an act that corrupts the heart, reflecting a basic lack of honesty with oneself and with the Sangha body.
Main Content
In the Vinaya context, Mohana refers specifically to concealing or covering up matters related to expulsion or disciplinary issues in the Sangha. A bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who conceals the truth about one’s own conduct or another’s, whether by hiding a fault, covering up a violation, or deliberately confusing information, falls into this offense.
The sutta makes clear that deception includes not only direct lying, but also silence, evasiveness, or any action that creates obscurity in disciplinary proceedings. What matters is intention: if a bhikkhu deliberately conceals in order to protect himself or harm the community, that is deception. Conversely, if information is accidentally omitted through carelessness, the degree of offense may be lighter.
The Pātimokkha teaches that the Sangha may carry out procedures of inquiry to investigate violations. Deception in this context undermines the foundation of communal justice, because it disables the ability of the Sangha body to know the truth and act fairly.
Practical Meaning
From the perspective of practice, Mohana is a profound warning about the harmful nature of concealment.
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