San Mg Bu Pm Pc 60Concealing a Grave Offense
Pāli / Sanskrit:Duṭṭhulla
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The Discourse on Concealing a Grave Offense (Duṭṭhulla)
Background
The Duṭṭhulla rule belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically within the disciplinary rules for bhikkhunis. The background of this rule arises from situations in the community of nuns when a member committed a grave offense but tried to conceal the truth.
In the Theravāda Vinaya system, offenses against the rules are classified according to their seriousness. A “great” offense (mahāsaggaha) or a “grave” offense (duṭṭhulla) refers to conduct that violates fundamental Buddhist restraints or harms the purity of the community. This rule was recorded to guide the handling of a situation in which a bhikkhu deliberately conceals such an offense, which is itself regarded as an additional transgression.
Main Content
The Duṭṭhulla rule revolves around the principle that concealing a grave offense is equivalent to committing another offense, even creating a separate violation of its own. This reflects a fundamental principle of the Vinaya Pitaka: honesty and transparency are the foundation of monastic discipline.
According to the Vinaya Pitaka, when a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni commits a grave offense and deliberately conceals it from the community or from the proper persons, that action itself becomes an offense. This concealment not only worsens the original situation but also breaks the principle of “mutual compassion” (anukampā) and “hearing the Dharma” (dhammasāvana) within the community.
The rule indicates that what is proper is to acknowledge the fault openly, undergo confession, and accept the disciplinary measures of practice (saṅghādisesa) or an appropriate penalty according to the degree of the violation. This not only helps the individual monastic become spiritually purified but also maintains the purity of the entire Sangha.
Practical Meaning
The significance of the Duṭṭhulla rule is not only for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis in monasteries.
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