San Lo Bi Vb Ss 4Litigious
Pāli / Sanskrit:Ussayavādikā
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanation of the Ussayavādikā Sutta (One Who Disregards Judgments)
Background
The Ussayavādikā Sutta belongs to the Suttavibhaṅga section of the Vinaya Piṭaka, where the monastic rules of the Buddhist community are recorded. This Vinaya was proclaimed by the Buddha in order to establish noble discipline for the community of bhikkhus. The Ussayavādikā Sutta addresses situations in which disputes arise among members of the community and how to handle those who show disrespect toward the collective decision.
In early Buddhist history, as the community developed, questions of discipline and personal disputes became unavoidable. The sutta teaches that when such disputes occur, the community must have a fair and transparent method of resolution. The greater problem, however, is when some people do not accept the community’s decision, even showing contempt (ussaya vādikā) for these judgments.
Main Content
The Ussayavādikā Sutta addresses the issue of bhikkhus who disregard or reject decisions made through the official procedures of the community. Those called “litigious” (ussayavādikā) are those who repeatedly raise disputes, but when the community has made a judgment according to the Vinaya, they continue to argue or deny the conclusion.
The Buddha taught that this behavior harms the harmony and unity of the Sangha (saṅghasāmaggi). When a decision has been made justly, even if someone does not fully agree, they must still abide by it in order to maintain the common order. The sutta prescribes forms of handling those who continue to raise issues that have already been resolved, including educational and disciplinary measures when necessary.
More deeply, the sutta emphasizes that observance of the Vinaya is not due to fear, but due to understanding the common good. A divided Sangha cannot practice the Dharma effectively. Therefore, each member must learn to relinquish personal stubbornness and accept collective decisions made impartially.
🌏 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.