Lzh Mg Bi Pm Ss 16Difficult to Correct
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dubbaca
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
DUBBACA SUTTA — ON THOSE DIFFICULT TO CORRECT
Background
The Dubbaca Sutta (Pāli: Dubbaca, meaning "difficult to correct" or "difficult to instruct") is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically in the section known as the Suttavibhaṅga (the Analysis of the Rules). This text reflects a situation that arose within the early Saṅgha, when the Blessed One found it necessary to address monks or nuns whose conduct was unwholesome, who were averse to admonishment, and who refused to amend their faults.
Within the context of the original Vinaya Piṭaka, these regulations are not merely punishments or measures of censure, but rather specific guidelines on how the Saṅgha is to maintain internal discipline and assist its members in returning to the correct path of practice. The general context of the Vinaya Piṭaka is that of the Blessed One progressively promulgating rules (Pātimokkha) in order to govern the healthy growth of the Saṅgha.
Principal Content
The Dubbaca Sutta concerns monks or nuns who are by nature difficult to instruct, unreceptive to counsel, and resistant to correction. Such individuals may transgress the training rules (Sikkhāpada), fail to comply with the regulations of the Saṅgha, or engage in conduct that causes disruption to the community.
The scriptural texts related to the handling of such cases set forth a clear procedure: First, other monks are to offer admonishment, whether privately or publicly. If the person in question does not heed this counsel, the Saṅgha proceeds to apply formal measures of governance, which may include suspension from participation in communal activities or, in serious cases, formal act of expulsion from the Saṅgha (Ukkhepaniya Kamma). The purpose is not to inflict suffering, but to create the conditions of psychological urgency whereby the individual may awaken to their situation and return to the path of practice.
The central emphasis of this sutta lies in the distinction between those monastics who are sincere in their practice yet have committed faults that are amenable to correction, and those who are rigid in character, arrogant, and who refuse all counsel whatsoever.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.