Bu Pc 1313. Complaining

Commentary on the Ujjhāpanaka Sutta (Bu Pc 13)

Pātimokkha Rules for Bhikkhus

Background

The Ujjhāpanaka Sutta appears in the Pātimokkha Sutta—the most fundamental code of rules within the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. The Pāli title "Ujjhāpanaka" (from ujjhāpeti: to criticize, to censure) refers to conduct involving the public criticism of leaders or office-holders within the Saṅgha.

The Buddha promulgated these rules of practice to protect the unity of the Saṅgha community and to maintain internal discipline. This collection of rules is not a teaching on lofty spiritual matters, but rather practical regulations governing relations among those who have gone forth into the homeless life, thereby establishing a foundation for effective cultivation of the Buddha-Dharma.

Principal Content

The Ujjhāpanaka Sutta stipulates that if a bhikkhu publicly reproaches, criticizes, or censures an office-holder of the Saṅgha—whether an abbot, a preceptor, or any monastics holding a position of responsibility—that bhikkhu must confess his offense before the Saṅgha.

The crucial point is the act of "public censure" (ujjhāpana). This does not refer to private reporting, nor to legitimate complaint regarding genuine faults. Rather, the rule addresses those cases in which a bhikkhu stands up before a number of people and, using harsh language, attacks the honor or authority of those who hold a particular standing within the monastic community. Such conduct gives rise to division, undermines confidence, and damages the harmony (samaggī) that the Saṅgha requires in order to practice the Dharma.

This offense is classified as a Pācittiya—that is, an offense requiring confession before the Saṅgha or before another bhikkhu. Although it is not among the most grave offenses (such as taking life or declaring one's intention to abandon the Dharma), it must nonetheless be healed through sincere confession and through the giving of evidence of a wholesome manner of life.