Xct Mu Bu Vb Sk 56Na thutthukāraka

Commentary on the Na Thutthukāraka Sutta

Background

The Na Thutthukāraka Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition and is recorded in the Pāli Canon. This title may be understood as “those who should not be praised” or “those unworthy of commendation.” It is part of the Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga or the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, where the Buddha and the elder members of the Sangha established rules concerning the ethics and conduct of renunciants.

The Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled to protect the monastic community from wrongful actions, preserve the purity of the Sangha, and ensure that the Dharma would be transmitted in a pure manner. The regulations in the Vinaya Piṭaka are not meant as punishment, but serve practice and the wise governance of the community.

Main Content

The Na Thutthukāraka Sutta concerns actions or types of people who should not be praised or extolled, especially in the context of the moral conduct of bhikkhus. In the Theravāda tradition, careless praise or indiscriminate commendation can lead to pride, attachment, and contempt for others. Therefore, the Buddha taught that only those who truly practice in accordance with the Dharma and have attained genuine spiritual accomplishments are worthy of respect.

This discourse emphasizes that praising the unworthy brings negative consequences: it makes that person arrogant, causes the community to lose faith in the teaching, and weakens the spiritual strength of the Sangha. Conversely, only those who have earnestly cultivated the pāramitās, abided in purity, respected the Vinaya, and directed the mind toward nirvana are truly worthy of reverence.

Practical Meaning

This discourse offers a profound lesson on carefulness in judgment and praise. For those practicing the Buddha-Dharma today, this means that we need to distinguish clearly between beautiful words and the true substance of moral virtue.