Lzh Mu Bi Pm Ss 2Making a Groundless Accusation Out of Anger
Pāli / Sanskrit:Duṭṭhadosa
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Sutta Duṭṭhadosa: Groundless Accusation Made Out of Anger
Background
The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the section of Buddhist teachings governing the rules of conduct for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. The regulations within the Vinaya Piṭaka were laid down by the Buddha in response to specific situations arising within the Sangha, with the aim of protecting the harmony of the monastic community and upholding moral purity.
This sutta raises the serious matter of anger (dosa) — one of the three fundamental unwholesome roots (akusala mūla) in Theravāda Buddhism. Anger not only disturbs the mind, but also leads to harmful actions, most notably lying and making groundless accusations in order to cause harm to others. This is a particularly grave offense within the monastic community, where trust and integrity form the very foundation.
Main Content
The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta addresses the situation in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, driven by anger in the mind, seeks to accuse another person of offenses that they have never in fact committed. The underlying motivation is anger (duṭṭha dosa) — that is, unjustified resentment, restlessly seeking an opportunity to cause harm.
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, such an action constitutes a serious violation of the Saṅghādisesa rules — those offenses that require formal acknowledgment before the entire Sangha and sincere acts of remorse. The reason is that a groundless accusation does not merely destroy the reputation of the one accused; it also undermines the trust and harmony of the community. It is a form of false speech (musāvāda) combined with ill will (kāya duccarita) — encompassing the three kinds of unwholesome bodily conduct (kāya).
Theravāda Buddhism emphasizes that even when a person has genuinely committed some offense, if one accuses them of a different offense that they have not committed, then the one who makes the groundless accusation incurs the heavier transgression. The fault does not lie in subjecting conduct to disciplinary scrutiny, but rather in the motivation behind, and the nature of, a false declaration.
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