Bu Ss 99. Making a groundless accusation out of anger, using a pretext
Pāli / Sanskrit:Aññabhāgiya
A monk who in anger uses a ploy to falsely accuse another monk of an offense entailing expulsion is to be suspended.
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Aññabhāgiya: A Groundless Accusation Out of Anger
Background
This text is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the sacred code of monastic discipline of the Theravāda Buddhist Order. Specifically, it belongs to the Bhikkhu Saṅghādisesa section—offenses that require formal acts by the monastic community for their resolution. The text is set within the context of regulations governing life in the monastic community, where wrongful actions are carefully examined in order to protect the purity of the four foundations of mindfulness and the conditions supporting the practice.
The detailed recording of offenses and their consequences serves an educational purpose, cautioning monastics that even within the Buddhist community, human beings must still confront spiritual and ethical challenges. The word "Aññabhāgiya" means "using a different matter as a cover"—pointing to the act of concealing the true motive behind an accusation.
Main Content
The Aññabhāgiya describes a specific situation: a bhikkhu, in a state of anger, deliberately makes a false accusation that another bhikkhu has committed a Pārājika offense (an offense entailing expulsion). In order to conceal his true motive of anger, this bhikkhu employs a different pretext—an "outer layer" (aññabhāgiya)—creating the appearance that the accusation is based on legitimate grounds.
This action violates not merely one but multiple ethical principles. First, it is a form of falsehood—using fabricated reasons to conceal the truth. Second, it arises from greed, hatred, and delusion, the three poisons (lobha, dosa, moha). Third, it causes direct harm to a fellow practitioner and disturbs the harmony of the community (saṅgha).
The consequence of this offense is that the bhikkhu is placed under probation (Saṅghādisesa), requiring him to:
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