Lzh Mu Bi Pm Ss 19Difficult to Correct
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dubbaca
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The Sutta on Being Difficult to Correct (Dubbaca)
Background
The Dubbaca Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition and is part of the teaching on the discipline of the Sangha. The spirit of the Vinaya Piṭaka is not punishment, but the building of a harmonious and ethical community of practice, where each member respects the common rules for the benefit of all. This sutta raises an important human issue: people who are difficult, unwilling to listen, and unwilling to correct their actions.
In the context of the Sangha, monastics live together, sharing space, resources, and a common goal. Therefore, a person of difficult temperament who does not wish to change improper conduct creates much disorder for the community. The Dubbaca Sutta is a warning about these limitations and about how the Sangha should respond when encountering such individuals.
Main Content
The term “dubbaca” (dubbhacca) is translated as “difficult to correct” or “difficult to instruct.” This is a psychological trait of those who are unable or unwilling to accept guidance. This sutta describes the characteristics of a dubbaca person: when their faults are pointed out, they do not acknowledge them; when they are advised, they do not follow; they lack humility (hiri), and lack self-respect or fear regarding bad actions (ottappa).
It is notable that the Vinaya Piṭaka does not encourage immediately excluding a person who is difficult to correct. Instead, the Sangha must proceed through many steps of admonition, with patience and compassion. The teacher and brothers and sisters in the monastery have the responsibility to try to re-educate this person through words and actions. Only when all efforts fail are forms of intervention or temporary suspension of association considered.
The sutta also reminds us that those who are difficult to correct can greatly harm the Sangha, because their refusal to observe discipline can spread and affect the common discipline and the teachings of the precepts (Pātimokkha).
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