Mpt Ss 13Difficult to Correct
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dubbaca
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The Dubbaca Sutta (Difficult to Correct)
Background
The Dubbaca Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pāli Canon, the collection of rules governing the community of monks and nuns and teachings on the discipline of practice. The Vinaya Pitaka is not only a set of prohibitions, but also a method for harmony and mutual respect within the Sangha.
Dubbaca (Pāli: dubbaca = difficult to correct, difficult to admonish) is recorded among the foundational rules (Pātimokkha Saṃvara) that each bhikkhu must observe. This section usually concerns the conduct or attitude of a bhikkhu who is difficult to correct or difficult to admonish because of pride, conceit, or refusal to listen to counsel.
The background for the arising of this sutta is to educate the Sangha about the importance of humility, willingness to accept instruction from elders with greater age and experience, and the maintenance of harmony (Sangha samaggi) in the community of practice.
Main Content
The Dubbaca Sutta speaks of the conduct, attitudes, or character of a bhikkhu called “dubbaca,” one who is difficult to correct. Notable traits include intellectual arrogance, refusal to admit faults, unwillingness to listen to advice from elders, and stubborn adherence to one’s own views.
The core principle of this section is the recognition that a practitioner must maintain a harmonious, humble, and teachable state of mind. When a bhikkhu shows signs of being dubbaca, the Sangha has the right to apply measures of admonition (anuggaha), from mild to strong, to help him recognize his fault and return to the proper path of practice.
These methods of admonition are regarded as “medicine to heal illness” within the community. If a person persistently refuses and does not correct himself, this can lead to heavier disciplinary measures, even expulsion from the Sangha (parivāsa, upasampadā nirvacana, or pabbajjaniya kamma).
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