The Offense of Claiming Realization Without Realization

Original text of the Sūtra on the Precepts for Upāsakas, Section Four: 佛告诸比丘。吾以种种呵妄语。赞叹不妄语者。乃至戏笑尚不应妄语。何况故妄语。是中犯者。若优婆塞不知不见。过人圣法。自言我是罗汉向罗汉者。犯不可悔。若言我是阿那含。斯陀含。若须陀洹乃至向须陀洹。若得初禅。第二禅。第三禅。第四禅。

Explanation: The Buddha told the bhikṣus: I have rebuked those who speak falsely with various words and parables, and praised those who do not speak falsely and are honest. Every sentient being should not speak falsely even when joking with one another, let alone deliberately speak falsely; even less should one violate this precept. As for those who violate the precept against false speech: if an upāsaka (or upāsikā) who has received the five precepts does not know and has not seen that he has manifested sage-like states surpassing ordinary beings, such as those of an arhat, yet tells others that he is an arhat-in-training or an arhat, he commits an unpardonable offense. Likewise, if an upāsaka says that he is an anāgāmin, a sakṛdāgāmin, a srotāpanna, or a srotāpanna-in-training, he commits an unpardonable offense. If an upāsaka says that he has attained the first dhyāna, the second dhyāna, the third dhyāna, and the fourth dhyāna, he commits the unpardonable offense of great false speech.

Original text: 若得慈悲喜舍无量心。若得无色定。虚空定。识处定。无所有处定。非想非非想处定。若得不净观。阿那般那念。诸天来到我所。诸龙夜叉。薜荔毗舍阇。鸠槃荼罗刹来到我所。彼问我。我答彼。我问彼。彼答我。皆犯不可悔。若本欲言罗汉。误言阿那含者。犯中可悔。余亦如是犯。

Explanation: If an upāsaka says that he has attained the four boundless minds of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, or says that he has attained the formless meditative concentrations, has attained the concentration of infinite space, has attained the concentration of infinite consciousness, has attained the concentration of nothingness, or has attained the concentration of neither perception nor non-perception, when in fact none of this is true, he commits an unpardonable offense in each case. If he says that he has accomplished the contemplation of impurity or the mindfulness of ānāpānasati, when in fact he has not, he commits an unpardonable offense.

If he says that heavenly beings have come to my dwelling, that nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas have come to my dwelling and conversed with me—they asked me questions and I answered them, or I asked them questions and they answered me—all such false speech constitutes an unpardonable offense. If he originally intended to say that he is an arhat but mistakenly said that he is an anāgāmin, he commits a middling pardonable offense. If he mistakenly says he is a sakṛdāgāmin of the second fruit or a srotāpanna of the first fruit, likewise he commits either the offense of false speech that is unpardonable, or a middling pardonable offense of false speech.

Deliberate great false speech constitutes an unpardonable offense; non-deliberate great false speech constitutes a pardonable offense, and sincere repentance can eliminate the offense of great false speech. The offense of great false speech is divided into three degrees: superior, middling, and inferior. The superior degree is an unpardonable offense; the middling and inferior degrees are pardonable offenses. The inferior degree can be completely eliminated through sincere repentance; for the middling degree, repentance may not necessarily eliminate it completely; for the superior degree, repentance is of no use and cannot eliminate the offense of false speech.

Original text: 若优婆塞。人问言。汝得道耶。若默然。若以相示者。皆犯中可悔。乃至言。旋风土鬼来至我所者。犯中可悔。若优婆塞实闻而言不闻。实见而言不见。疑有而言无。无而言有。如是等妄语。皆犯可悔。若发心欲妄语。未言者犯下可悔。言而不尽意者。犯中可悔。若向人自言得道者。便犯不可悔。若狂若心乱。不觉语者。无犯。

Explanation: If an upāsaka is asked by someone: "Have you attained the Path?" and the upāsaka, though clearly not having attained the Path, remains silent without explaining, or indicates through signs that he has attained the Path, he commits a middling pardonable offense. Even to the point of falsely saying that whirlwind earth spirits have come to my dwelling—he commits a middling pardonable offense.

If an upāsaka has indeed heard something but says he has not heard it, has indeed seen something but says he has not seen it, clearly suspects something exists but says it does not, or doubts that something does not exist but says it does—false speech such as this all constitutes a pardonable offense.

If one forms the intention to speak falsely but has not yet spoken, one commits an inferior pardonable offense; after speaking, if one has not finished saying what one intended, one commits a middling pardonable offense. If one tells others that one has attained the Path when in fact one has not, one commits an unpardonable offense. If one is insane or mentally deranged and is unaware of what one is saying, one does not commit the offense of false speech.