Grammatical Analysis
Sāṭheyya: [nt.] fraud; hypocrisy; craftiness; trickery. From saṭha (crafty, fraudulent).
Orthodox Definition
Sāṭheyya is another of the sixteen minor defilements (upakkilesa). It operates in tandem with Māyā (deceit), but they have distinctly different psychological mechanisms.
While Māyā involves hiding faults that one actually possesses, Sāṭheyya is the active, fraudulent claiming of virtues, attainments, or qualities that one does not possess. It is driven by greed (lobha) for respect, requisites, or fame.
In the monastic context, sāṭheyya is incredibly dangerous. If a monk fraudulently claims to possess supramundane states (jhāna or magga-phala) that he has not actually attained, driven by this defilement, he commits a Pārājika offense and is instantly defeated and expelled from the Saṅgha for life.
Textual References
- Sutta: Vatthūpama Sutta (MN 7) – Included in the core list of impurities of the heart.
- Vinaya: Pārājikapāḷi (The Fourth Defeat) – The legal boundary concerning fraudulent claims of human perfection.
- Commentary: Papañcasūdanī – Distinguishing the exact boundaries between hiding faults and faking virtues.