Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

Katvāna kaṭṭham udaraṃ iva gabbhinīyā,
Ciñcāya duṭṭhavacanaṃ janakāyamajjhe,
Santena soma vidhinā jitavā munindo,
Taṃ tejasā bhavatu te jayamaṅgalāni.

Forming her belly with a piece of wood pretending pregnancy,
Ciñcāya abused him in the midst of an assembly of people with corrupt speech,
With calmness and quietude the sage of the Munis conquered her.
Through the power of this may joyous victory be yours!

These verses from the Jayamaṅgala-aṭṭhagāthā are well known to participants of a 10-day Vipassana course in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. They refer to Ciñcā, an attractive female follower of some heretics. During the time of the Buddha, the Dhamma was gaining popularity and the renown of such unorthodox teachers decreased as they were losing followers. In order to discredit the Buddha and the Bikkhusaṇgha, these heretics trained Ciñcā to feign pregnancy and publicly accuse the Buddha of irresponsibility and callousness towards his supposed child during a public gathering.

Such an intentional deliberate lie (sampajānamusāvādo), irrespective of better knowledge of the truth, presents the base for various kinds of unwholesome, harmful behaviour and action. Usually a well-calculated falsehood like this inherently leads to similar uncertainty about its efficacy and creditability, provoking the need to create a castle of lies supported by further falsehoods and ceaseless circles of unwholesomeness. Such a person may be liable to perform greater misdeeds by ignoring possible kammic consequences:

‘Vitiṇṇaparalokassāti vissaṭṭhaparalokassa.¹ Īdiso hi manussasampatti devalokasampatti avasāne nibbānasampattīti imā tissopi sampattiyo na passati.’²

Having overcome concern for the next world, he has (already) dismissed the next world. Because such a person will not encounter (does not see) the three successful attainments: the attainment of human birth, existence in the world of gods or the attainment of Nibbāna.

The Buddha’s famous advice to his son Rāhula has already been quoted.³ The Buddha starts with a simile that confirms that someone who expresses a lie with full knowledge thus provides the base for other unwholesome conduct to manifest:

… After having washed his feet with only little remaining water the Buddha shows the nearly empty water vessel to his son and asks:

‘‘passasi no tvaṃ, rāhula, imaṃ parittaṃ udakāvasesaṃ⁴ udakādhāne⁵ ṭhapita’’nti?

“Do you perceive this little water left in the water vessel?”

and then continues explaining:

‘‘Evaṃ parittakaṃ kho, rāhula, tesaṃ sāmaññaṃ yesaṃ natthi sampajānamusāvāde lajjā⁶’’ti

“Of such like little value is the sāmaññaship of those who are not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie.”

The Buddha then further throws all the water away,

‘‘passasi no tvaṃ, rāhula, parittaṃ udakāvasesaṃ chaḍḍita⁷’’nti?

and finally turns the vessel upside down and shows the fully empty vessel

‘‘passasi no tvaṃ, rāhula, imaṃ udakādhānaṃ nikkujjita⁸’’nti?

Explaining the meaning of both his actions, he compares these with a monk, who by telling such an intentional lie has thrown his recluseship away and turned it upside down.

The Buddha concludes by replacing the vessel upside again:

Atha kho bhagavā taṃ udakādhānaṃ ukkujjitvā āyasmantaṃ rāhulaṃ āmantesi ‘‘passasi no tvaṃ, rāhula, imaṃ udakādhānaṃ rittaṃ⁹ tuccha’’nti?¹⁰ ‘‘Evaṃ, bhante’’.

“Do you perceive this vessel, now empty and hollow, Rāhula?”

‘‘Yes, Bhante.’’

‘‘Evaṃ rittaṃ tucchaṃ kho, rāhula, tesaṃ sāmaññaṃ yesaṃ natthi sampajānamusāvāde lajjāti.

“Likewise vain and purposeless, like this empty vessel, is the sāmaññaship for a recluse, who is not ashamed telling such a deliberate lie!”