Bu Pc 7373. Deception
Pāli / Sanskrit:Mohana
A monk who deceptively claims that he did not know a rule in the monastic code must confess the offense.
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THE DISCOURSE ON DECEPTION (MOHANA)
Rule 73 – The Vinaya Piṭaka of the Original Tradition
Background
During the period in which the Blessed One Śākyamuni was establishing the Vinaya, as the monastic community of monks and nuns continued to grow, regulations governing the conduct, speech, and thought of monastics became necessary for the preservation of purity. Rule 73 on Deception (Mohana — from moha, meaning delusion or concealment of the truth) was established by the Blessed One among the Pācittiya offences, those transgressions requiring review and open confession.
This context arose from specific instances in which monks deliberately feigned ignorance of rules and precepts in the Vinaya in order to evade their own responsibilities. Such deceitfulness was not merely an irrational act; it also undermined the foundation of trust within the Saṅgha, giving rise to discord and the erosion of spiritual commitment.
Principal Content
The regulation set forth in Rule 73 states clearly: if a monk, deliberately and in a state of delusion or concealment of the truth, declares that he does not know of a particular rule or prohibition in the Vinaya, he commits a Pācittiya offence. This does not apply to cases of genuine ignorance — rather, it applies when there is deception, when the monk knows full well that he has studied or been taught the rule in question yet deliberately denies it.
The subtle distinction within this teaching lies in intention (cetanā). If a monk has genuinely not been instructed, or has not had the conditions necessary to access information regarding a particular rule, he commits no offence. However, if he deliberately makes light of the matter, evades responsibility, or flatly declares "I do not know" in order to avoid consequences or the procedural steps of the Saṅgha, that is true deception.
The consequence of this offence is not the revocation of ordination or expulsion from the Saṅgha; however, the monk must confess his transgression before his fellow practitioners. This public confession serves to cleanse the defilement from the mind and to restore trust within the community of practice.
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