Lzh Mi Bu Vb Ss 8Making a Groundless Accusation Out of Anger
Pāli / Sanskrit:Duṭṭhadosa
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The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta: A Groundless Accusation Out of Anger
Background
This sutta originates in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of rules of action, thought, and speech that those who have gone forth must observe in order to maintain spiritual direction and communal harmony.
The Duṭṭhadosa sutta (duṭṭha: angry; dosa: hatred, anger) records an event involving a bhikkhunī who became angry and made a groundless accusation against another. This context reflects one of the common challenges in a community of practice: when the mind is dominated by anger (dosa), people tend to speak falsely, evade responsibility, or accuse others unjustly.
This is not an independent discourse for doctrinal teaching, but a precedent in the monastic law, used to define the violation and its consequences. Through it, the sutta teaches followers of Buddhism about the serious consequences of using harmful speech in service of anger.
Main Content
The recorded event shows that a bhikkhunī, dominated by anger (dosa-vasena), sought revenge by making a completely baseless accusation. The Buddha regarded this action as one of the most serious violations in the lawful order of the Sangha.
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, making a groundless accusation is called "anāgata-ussada sikkhāpadaṃ" (an accusation of actions that have not occurred). This is regarded as Pārājika - a complete violation that causes the offender to lose the status of one gone forth if it is proven.
The sutta points out that this action occurs because the mind is wholly dominated by hatred (dosa), one of the three poisons - the three basic unwholesome roots (lobha: greed; dosa: anger; moha: delusion). When one of these three poisons reigns in the mind, a person loses the ability to distinguish right from wrong and becomes an instrument of unwholesome states.
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