San Sarv Bu Pm Tf 11 Pc 69Groundless Accusation

The Discourse on Groundless Accusation (Amūlaka)

Context

The Amūlaka discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the early Buddhist tradition, recorded in the Pātimokkha section. This code was compiled to regulate the conduct of the monastic community, especially ethical violations that a bhikkhu might commit in the life of practice.

The Amūlaka discourse addresses a very important issue in the monastic community: groundless accusation. This is the act of accusing a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī without real evidence, relying only on conjecture, rumor, or ill will. In the context of a community of practice, where trust and purity are foundational, reckless accusation deeply harms harmony and the good name of monastics.

This rule reflects the Buddha’s wisdom in protecting the discipline of training. It is not merely a dry regulation but an expression of compassion and wisdom, intended to maintain the inner purity and spiritual independence of the monastic community.

Main Content

The Amūlaka discourse states that a monastic must not accuse another of three kinds of actions without reliable evidence. These three types of groundless accusation concern sexual misconduct (abrahmacariya), taking what is not given (adinnādāna), and killing living beings (pāṇātipāta).

More precisely, one must not make a groundless accusation on the basis of one of three false grounds: an accusation based on speculation without supporting evidence; an accusation based on hearsay from unreliable rumors; or an accusation based on mistaken perception or faulty judgment. If the accuser cannot prove that the offense actually occurred, then the accuser himself must undergo discipline, because the act itself has become a violation.

The discourse emphasizes that accusation must be based on actual evidence, directly witnessed or acknowledged by the offender himself.