Lzh Mu 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.
EXPLANATION OF THE DUṬṬHADOSA SUTTA
The Offense of Making a Groundless Accusation Out of Anger
Background
The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta (the offense of making a groundless accusation out of anger) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the discipline for bhikkhunīs. These are regulations concerning the faults of women monastics and their corresponding penalties, intended to maintain discipline in the Sangha.
The sutta was compiled on the basis of historical events in the life of Buddha Śākyamuni, when earlier disciples violated rules because of impure motives. This content reflects the concern of early Buddhism about the abuse of power and the accumulation of anger (duṭṭha dosa) in the community of practice.
The legal context of the sutta expresses a profound principle: actions with ethical impact do not depend only on external results, but also on inner intention. An accusation or charge, whether true or not, if it arises from anger and wrath, has violated a basic moral principle of Buddhism.
Main Content
The Duṭṭhadosa Sutta deals with the situation in which a bhikkhunī accuses another person out of anger without proper evidence. This action is considered a Saṅghādisesa offense — an offense involving the Sangha, requiring confession before the Sangha — one of the gravest offenses after Pārājika, the offense of expulsion.
The distinctive feature of this rule is that it does not concern itself only with objective truth, but also emphasizes inner motivation. If the accuser acts out of anger (duṭṭha dosa), even when the event may be true, speaking of it is still regarded as an offense. Conversely, if an accusation arises from a pure intention — wishing to protect the Sangha and the Dharma — it is a different case.
The reason for this rule is profound: anger is one of the three poisons, the root of all wrongdoing and suffering.
🌏 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.