Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pc 60Concealing a Grave Offense
Pāli / Sanskrit:Duṭṭhulla
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Scripture on Concealing a Grave Offense
A Commentary on the Traditional Theravāda Vinaya
Background
The "Duṭṭhulla" scripture (Concealing a Grave Offense) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This is the section of monastic law that sets forth the rules of ethical conduct for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
The scripture arose from a specific incident within the early monastic community. When a monk committed a grave wrongdoing (duṭṭhulla — referring to offenses of serious moral weight), the act of concealing it, failing to disclose it, or deliberately hiding the reality of that offense was regarded as a twofold transgression. This was not merely a matter affecting one individual; it bore directly upon the spiritual health and spiritual integrity of the entire Sangha.
The historical context reveals that the Buddha established a system of monastic law grounded not in imprisonment or corporal punishment, but in self-acknowledgment, repentance, and renewed practice. This reflects the Theravāda approach: to educate and regulate conduct through self-awareness, rather than through external compulsion.
Principal Content
The Duṭṭhulla scripture addresses the matter of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs who have committed grave violations of the Vinaya — whether Pārājika offenses (those that entail the permanent loss of one's standing as a member of the Sangha) or Saṅghādisesa offenses (those requiring formal confession before the community) — and who thereafter deliberately conceal or deny what has occurred.
In the spirit of the Vinaya Piṭaka, when a monk commits an offense, the first step is for him to recognize it himself and disclose it to the community. This is not done in order to be punished or to forfeit one's standing, but so that the community may offer support throughout the process of repentance and correction. However, should the monk deliberately conceal the truth and fail to confess honestly, this is regarded as a second offense — an act reflecting a lack of moral shame (hirī) and moral dread (ottappā).
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