Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Pc 3Malicious Talebearing
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pesuñña
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The Discourse on Malicious Slander (Pesuñña Pācittiya)
Background
The Pesuñña Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, specifically the Pācittiya section, offenses requiring confession. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of disciplinary regulations issued by the Buddha for the community of monks and nuns, intended to protect harmony and the spirit of practice.
Pesuñña, a Pāli word, means "slander" or "malicious divisive talk." This offense is recorded when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī speaks divisive words with malicious intention, aiming to break relationships among members of the noble community. This is a violation of basic ethics in the community of practice, because it directly attacks harmony (samaggī), the core factor preserving the Sangha body.
Main Content
According to the regulations in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the offense of Pesuñña is defined as the act of speaking divisive words with the intention of causing conflict among monastics or between communities. Unlike simply speaking unpleasant words (hetuphulla), malicious slander must have three elements: (1) the words are divisive, (2) the speaker has a malicious intention to break a relationship, and (3) these words are spoken deliberately.
The text teaches that a monastic who commits this offense must confess to the Sangha. The importance of this rule lies in this: divisive speech is an aim of Mara, the spirit of delusion, because it destroys the foundation of the noble community, namely unity and mutual understanding. Once harmony is damaged, the collective merit and strength of practice of the community decline.
Buddhist law emphasizes that even words that are "well-founded," if true, still constitute the offense of Pesuñña when spoken with the intention to divide. This shows that the Buddhadharma is concerned not only with truth, but also with the purpose and state of mind behind speech.
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