Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Pc 59Legitimate Correction

SAHADHAMMIKA SUTRA (LEGITIMATE CORRECTION)

Background

The Sahadhammika rule is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the Suttavibhaṅga of the Bhikkhupātimokkha. The regulations in this section concern Pācittiya offenses, lesser violations that nevertheless require confession. This is the foundation of communal discipline in the Sangha of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition.

The word “Sahadhammika” consists of two elements: “saha” (together with) and “dhammika” (according to the Dharma, lawful, proper). Thus this rule concerns the method of correcting or admonishing monks who have committed offenses in a spirit of “together with the Dharma,” that is, an action carried out to protect and maintain the purity of the Sangha, not an act of punishment or hatred.

Main Content

The Sahadhammika rule states that when a monk discovers that a fellow practitioner has acted in a way inconsistent with the Vinaya, that monk has the right and responsibility to carry out correction in a legitimate manner. Legitimate correction (sahadhammika) means methods that do not themselves violate the rule, but instead are performed with the intention of benefiting the Sangha as a whole.

Legitimate methods of correction include: admonishing with proper speech, patiently repeating the admonition, pointing out the offense clearly but respectfully, or asking the other monk to acknowledge the fault himself. All these methods must follow the basic principle of being performed “together with the Dharma” (sahadhammika), meaning that they do not exceed the proper limits, do not cause harm, and aim at instruction, not punishment.

By contrast, illegitimate methods of correction (asahadhammika) are methods that themselves violate the Vinaya or arise from an impure mind, such as sarcasm, public criticism intended to damage honor, or correction motivated by anger or jealousy.