Lzh Mi Bi Vb Ss 2Making a Groundless Accusation Out of Anger
Pāli / Sanskrit:Duṭṭhadosa
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta: Making a Groundless Accusation Out of an Angry Mind
Background
Duṭṭhadosa, meaning "angry mind" or "resentful mind," is one of the important disciplinary rules in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. This sutta is recorded in the Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga, the rules for bhikkhus, and deals with a specific disciplinary violation: making an accusation against another person without basis or in a distorted way, motivated by anger, resentment, or hatred.
In the context of the Theravāda Buddhist Sangha, disciplinary rules are not merely prohibitions, but guidelines that help monastics train the mind, build truthfulness, and protect harmony in the community. The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta reflects the Buddha’s deep understanding of the harm caused by domination and humiliation of others when the mind is governed by unwholesome states (akusala dhamma).
Main Content
This sutta concerns a specific disciplinary violation: when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī accuses another person on improper or groundless grounds, while the real motive is anger, resentment, or hatred. This act is regarded as a serious transgression because it concerns truthfulness, a core value in Buddhist practice.
According to the principles of the Vinaya Piṭaka, an accusation is valid only when it is based on factual truth (saccavāda) and has no intention to cause harm. If a practitioner accuses another out of an angry mind, without sufficient evidence or merely for revenge, this violates the principle of the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya Aṭṭhaṅgika Magga), especially right speech (Sammā Vāca), which requires truthfulness and refraining from divisive speech.
A groundless accusation not only harms the one accused, but also damages the accuser’s own honor, creates suspicion in the Sangha, and obstructs the spiritual development of the whole community.
🌏 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.