Xct Mu Bi Ss 20Corrupters of Families
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kuladūsaka
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanation of the Kuladūsaka Discourse (Corrupters of Families)
Background
The Kuladūsaka discourse is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection that prescribes ethical principles and discipline for the Buddhist monastic community. This discourse appears in the context of the Buddha Śākyamuni establishing precepts for bhikkhunīs - female renunciants - in order to protect the honor of the fourfold assembly of disciples: bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, laymen, and laywomen.
The title "Kuladūsaka" (kuladūsaka = kula + dūsaka, meaning "those who corrupt families") refers to actions that corrupt honor and undermine the trust of relatives and the community. In this context, "family" means not only one's birth family but also the Buddhist community - the Sangha (僧伽) - where all members are connected by the teaching of the Dharma and common practice.
Main Content
This discourse focuses on listing kinds of conduct, often connected with harboring, negligence in practice, or violation of the precepts, by which those gone forth may cause harm to the reputation of the family or the Sangha. The Buddha emphasized that one gone forth is not merely an independent individual, but a representative of the entire fourfold assembly of disciples.
The specific content of this discourse has not yet been fully translated, but according to the general context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, "corrupters of families" are often criticized for using the property of the Sangha for personal purposes, sinking into distraction and lacking samādhi, maintaining inappropriate relations with laypeople, or violating prohibitions (sikkhāpada) concerning sexuality, theft, or false speech.
The Buddha's main purpose is to remind us that the action of each individual directly affects the reputation and attractiveness of the Dharma. When one gone forth violates the precepts, it is not only that person's own character that is harmed, but the faith of the outside community in the Buddhist Dharma is also weakened.
Practical Meaning
The Kuladūsaka discourse teaches that personal ethics cannot be separated from collective responsibility.
🌏 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.