Bu Ss 1313. Being a corrupter of families
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kuladūsaka
A monk who causes the lay people in a certain place to lose confidence in the teachings of the Buddha should be banished from that place. If he refuses to accept the banishment, he is to be suspended. The introduction to this rule tells of the corrupt and merciless group of six monks, who were the offenders behind a large number of rules in the monastic code.
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Kuladūsaka — Saṅghādisesa 13
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka of the Buddha-Dharma records that during the time when the Buddha was still present in the world, a group of six bhikkhus who were heedless in observing the Vinaya conducted themselves corruptly and without compassion toward the lay community. These bhikkhus, though wearing the robes and having undergone the preliminary training, used the outward appearance of spiritual practice to conceal minds driven by desire, self-interest, and deceitfulness.
Their conduct not only transgressed the fundamental precepts but also had a far-reaching impact on the faith of lay devotees (upāsaka) in the Triple Gem in general, and in the Dharma in particular. It was for this reason that the Buddha, as the one who upholds the nature of the Saṅgha, established the rule of Kuladūsaka (Corruption of Families), in order to protect the integrity of the Dharma and the confidence of the lay community of practitioners.
Main Content
The Kuladūsaka rule stipulates that when a bhikkhu, through conduct that violates the Vinaya — whether through carelessness in speech, action, or thought — causes the lay people of a certain locality to lose faith in the Buddha's Dharma, that bhikkhu must leave that place. This is called pabbājaniya (banishment/expulsion). If the bhikkhu refuses to accept the order of expulsion or deliberately returns to the forbidden place, the Saṅgha will apply tacchindaniya (cutting off), that is, suspension of Saṅgha membership until such time as the bhikkhu acknowledges his fault and complies with the order of expulsion.
The purpose of this rule is not to punish, but to protect. A bhikkhu who is lax in observing the Vinaya will erode the faith of the lay community in the Dharma, and may even cause harm to the respect accorded to the Saṅgha as a whole. When faith is lost, the practice of Dharma, the offering of food, robes, and other supports for cultivation from the laity will diminish, affecting the entire monastic community.
Practical Significance
The Kuladūsaka teaches us about the profoundly close relationship between personal virtue and social 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.