Xct Mu Bu Pm Pc 58Making Stains

The Sutta on Making Stains (Dubbaṇṇakaraṇa)

Background

The Sutta on Making Stains appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha section of the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, the discipline for female bhikkhus, or nuns. It is one of the important training rules (sikkhāpada) regulating the ethical conduct of nuns in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition.

The title “Stain” (Dubbaṇṇa) here does not refer only to physical dirt, but to actions, words, or thoughts that “stain” the honor, humility, and moral conduct of the practitioner. By clearly defining what actions create such “stains,” the Buddha-Dharma guides the fourfold Buddhist community, especially bhikkhunīs, in maintaining mental purity.

Main Content

This sutta concerns actions that damage the credibility or stain the honor of practitioners. Specifically, it warns against acts that create “stains” upon honor and humility. Such actions may include speaking evil words, jealousy, self-interest, arrogance, or forms of conduct unsuitable to the nature of one who practices.

In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, “Stain” is not a training rule involving expulsion from the Sangha, such as the Pārājika or Saṅghādisesa rules, but concerns matters to be restrained in order to protect the collective ethical image. It emphasizes that a bhikkhunī must not only observe strict discipline, but also attend to everyday conduct, speech, and attitude, all the factors that create personal and collective honor.

Actions that create “stains” may be public or private, but they all leave a negative impact on the reputation of the Sangha jewel. This is why the Buddha taught that even actions not absolutely forbidden should still be avoided if they diminish the people’s confidence in the Dharma.