Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law

The Great Analysis

The chapter on offenses entailing confession

The subchapter on lying

3. The training rule on malicious talebearing

Origin story

At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery,

the monks from the group of six were engaged in malicious talebearing between monks who were arguing.

After hearing something on one side they reported it to the other side, and vice versa, in order to create division between them.

In this way they started new quarrels and made existing quarrels worse.

The monks of few desires complained and criticized them,

“How can the monks from the group of six engage in malicious talebearing between monks who are arguing?

How can they report to one side what they have heard on the other side, and vice versa, in order to create division,

and in this way start new quarrels and make existing quarrels worse?”

After rebuking those monks in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned those monks:

“Is it true, monks, that you do this?”

“It’s true, sir.”

The Buddha rebuked them …

“Foolish men, how can you do this?

This will affect people’s confidence …” …

“And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling

‘If a monk engages in malicious talebearing between monks, he commits an offense entailing confession.’”

Definitions

Malicious talebearing:

there is malicious talebearing in two ways: for one wanting to endear himself and for one aiming at division.

One engages in malicious talebearing in ten ways: about caste, about name, about family, about occupation, about profession, about illnesses, about physical traits, about defilements, about offenses, and by name-calling.

Permutations

Permutations part 1

Definitions

Caste:

there are two kinds of castes: low castes and high castes.

Low castes:

outcasts, bamboo workers, hunters, carriage makers, waste removers—these are called “low castes”.

High castes:

aristocrats and brahmins—these are called “high castes”.

(To be expanded as in previous rule.)

Name-calling:

there are two kinds of name-calling: low name-calling and high name-calling.

Low name-calling:

“You’re a camel,” “You’re a ram,” “You’re an ox,” “You’re a donkey,” “You’re an animal,” “You’re bound for hell,” “You’re not going to a good destination,” “You can only expect a bad destination,” or adding disparaging endings to someone’s name, or calling someone words for the male and female genitals—this is called “low name-calling”.

High name-calling:

“You’re wise,” “You’re competent,” “You’re intelligent,” “You’re learned,” “You’re an expounder of the Teaching,” “You’re not going to a bad destination,” “You can only expect a good destination”—this is called “high name-calling”.

Exposition

Direct abuse

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s an outcast,’ ‘He’s a bamboo worker,’ ‘He’s a hunter,’ ‘He’s a carriage maker,’ ‘He’s a waste remover,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s an aristocrat,’ ‘He’s a brahmin,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s an Avakaṇṇaka,’ ‘He’s a Javakaṇṇaka,’ ‘He’s a Dhaniṭṭhaka,’ ‘He’s a Saviṭṭhaka,’ ‘He’s a Kulavaḍḍhaka,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a Buddharakkhita,’ ‘He’s a Dhammarakkhita,’ ‘He’s a Sangharakkhita,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a Kosiya,’ ‘He’s a Bhāradvāja,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a Gotama,’ ‘He’s a Moggallāna,’ ‘He’s a Kaccāna,’ ‘He’s a Vāsiṭṭha,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a carpenter,’ ‘He’s a waste remover,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a farmer,’ ‘He’s a trader,’ ‘He’s a cattle keeper,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a reed worker,’ ‘He’s a potter,’ ‘He’s a weaver,’ ‘He’s a leather worker,’ ‘He’s a hairdresser,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s an arithmetician,’ ‘He’s an accountant,’ ‘He’s a clerk,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a leper,’ ‘He has abscesses,’ ‘He has mild leprosy,’ ‘He has tuberculosis,’ ‘He’s an epileptic,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a diabetic,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s too tall,’ ‘He’s too short,’ ‘He’s too dark,’ ‘He’s too fair,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s not too tall,’ ‘He’s not too short,’ ‘He’s not too dark,’ ‘He’s not too fair,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s full of sensual desire,’ ‘He’s full of ill will,’ ‘He’s full of confusion,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s without sensual desire,’ ‘He’s without ill will,’ ‘He’s without confusion,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He has committed an offense entailing expulsion,’ ‘He has committed an offense entailing suspension,’ ‘He has committed a serious offense,’ ‘He has committed an offense entailing confession,’ ‘He has committed an offense entailing acknowledgment,’ ‘He has committed an offense of wrong conduct,’ ‘He has committed an offense of wrong speech,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a stream-enterer,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s a camel,’ ‘He’s a ram,’ ‘He’s an ox,’ ‘He’s a donkey,’ ‘He’s an animal,’ ‘He’s bound for hell,’ ‘He’s not going to a good destination,’ ‘He can only expect a bad destination,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says this about you, ‘He’s wise,’ ‘He’s competent,’ ‘He’s intelligent,’ ‘He’s learned,’ ‘He’s an expounder of the Teaching,’ ‘He’s not going to a bad destination,’ ‘He can only expect a good destination,’” then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

Indirect abuse

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘There are outcasts right here,’ ‘There are bamboo workers right here,’ ‘There are hunters right here,’ ‘There are carriage makers right here,’ ‘There are waste removers right here,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘There are aristocrats right here,’ ‘There are brahmins right here,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. …

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘There are wise ones right here,’ ‘There are competent ones right here,’ ‘There are intelligent ones right here,’ ‘There are learned ones right here,’ ‘There are expounders of the Teaching right here,’ ‘There are those not going to a bad destination right here,’ ‘There are those who can only expect a good destination right here,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘Perhaps these are outcasts,’ ‘Perhaps these are bamboo workers,’ ‘Perhaps these are hunters,’ ‘Perhaps these are carriage makers,’ ‘Perhaps these are waste removers,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. …

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘Perhaps these are wise ones,’ ‘Perhaps these are competent ones,’ ‘Perhaps these are intelligent ones,’ ‘Perhaps these are learned ones,’ ‘Perhaps these are expounders of the Teaching,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘We’re not outcasts,’ ‘We’re not bamboo workers,’ ‘We’re not hunters,’ ‘We’re not carriage makers,’ ‘We’re not waste removers,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. …

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing by saying to yet another who is fully ordained, “So-and-so says, ‘We’re not wise ones,’ ‘We’re not competent ones,’ ‘We’re not intelligent ones,’ ‘We’re not learned ones,’ ‘We’re not expounders of the Teaching,’ ‘We’re not going to a bad destination,’ ‘We can only expect a good destination,’ and he’s not speaking about someone else, he’s speaking about you,” then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Permutations part 2

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing to yet another who is fully ordained, then for every statement, he commits an offense entailing confession.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from another who is fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing to one who is not fully ordained, then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from one who is not fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing to another who is fully ordained, then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

If one who is fully ordained, after hearing it from one who is not fully ordained, engages in malicious talebearing to another who is not fully ordained, then for every statement, he commits an offense of wrong conduct.

Non-offenses

There is no offense:

if he does not want to endear himself

and he is not aiming at division;

if he is insane;

if he is the first offender.

The training rule on malicious talebearing, the third, is finished.