Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 157Cursing Another

Sutta on Cursing Another (Paraabhisapana)

Background

This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically within the Pācittiya rules—prohibitions that give rise to remorse if violated. In the context of the communal training of eight hundred Bhikkhus, the Buddha established rules of conduct to protect harmony in the Sangha and preserve the spirit of practice.

Paraabhisapana (Pāli: para = another person, abhisapana = cursing, imprecation) is one of the minor legal rules meant to refine morality in the use of speech. This is not a Dharma discourse on why one should not curse, but a specific disciplinary regulation for renunciants, those who have vowed to cultivate a pure mind.

Main Content

According to this Pācittiya rule, if a Bhikkhu or Bhikkhunī curses or verbally abuses another person directly—whether the purpose is punishment or the expression of anger—they commit a Pācittiya offense. This prohibition applies in cases where a renunciant actively utters words of insult, offense, or cursing aimed at a specific individual.

This rule does not regulate defending oneself or responding to reasonable criticism. Instead, it addresses the mental state of anger, rivalry, or hatred from which base speech arises. In particular, this rule protects mutual respect among members of the Sangha, and in essence it educates renunciants in the need to practice restraint over negative emotions.

The deeper reason for this legal rule lies in the Buddha’s understanding that speech has great power—it can wound, destroy relationships, and weaken purity of mind. A renunciant must be all the more careful with every word, because their mind is expected to have been purified in part through practice.

Practical Meaning

In modern practice, Paraabhisapana reminds us that speech is the reflection of the mind.