Upp Ss 3Indecent Speech
Pāli / Sanskrit:Duṭṭhullavācā
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THE SUTTA ON INDECENT SPEECH (Duṭṭhullavācā)
Background
The Sutta on Indecent Speech (Duṭṭhullavācā) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Uppannavanna Sutta section of the Suttavibhaṅga. This is a part of the monastic code for monks and nuns, the rules of conduct of the Sangha that the Buddha established in order to protect harmony and purity within the community of practice.
The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a collection of abstract doctrinal teachings, but concrete disciplinary actions based on stories from the daily lives of monastics. The sutta on Indecent Speech arose from one or more incidents in which the Buddha saw disciples speaking words that were mild in appearance but inappropriate, and from this established rules of discipline to regulate speech.
Main Content
The concept of “indecent speech” (duṭṭhula-vācā) in the Vinaya context does not simply mean using vulgar or coarse words. It includes a form of speech in which words are used heedlessly or intentionally to disturb, damage relationships, or violate the spirit of purity in the monastic community.
This rule is usually applied in situations where a monk or nun uses words inappropriate toward fellow practitioners or laypeople. Such speech may be insulting, false, or language intended to wound. The Buddha emphasized that speech is an important path of action (vacī-kamma), affecting the minds of both the speaker and the listener.
Related rules are often accompanied by corresponding penalties according to the degree and context. A monastic who speaks indecently may have to perform acts of confession or accept disciplinary penalties according to the regulations of the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
The Sutta on Indecent Speech teaches us that on the path of practice, every word carries moral weight.
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