Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Ss 10Causing Schism in the Saṅgha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Saṅghabheda
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THE SCRIPTURE ON CAUSING SCHISM IN THE SANGHA
(Saṅghabheda Sutta)
Background
Saṅghabheda, causing schism in the Sangha, is one of the gravest offenses prescribed in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. This scripture appears in the Vinaya collections of the Pāli Canon, where the Buddha established monastic rules and guided the religious community.
The historical background for establishing this injunction is connected with conflicts in the early Sangha. Practitioners attempted to divide the community based on differing views of the Dharma or Vinaya, or from personal motives such as greed and anger. The Buddha, with immeasurable compassionate wisdom, warned of the harm caused by this action and established injunctions to protect the unity of the Sangha.
Main Content
Causing schism in the Sangha (saṅghabheda) is understood as the deliberate act of separating part of the monastic community from the rest, or attempting to make members distrust one another. This action is regarded as one of the especially grave offenses (āpatti) in the Vinaya Piṭaka.
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, ways of causing schism include spreading false views about the Buddha’s Dharma so that monastics become divided, exploiting doctrinal disagreements to form opposing groups, or using lies and factional speech to destroy mutual trust among members.
The scripture teaches that one who causes schism in the Sangha creates heavy consequences for oneself. The Buddha warned that this action leads to painful results over many lives, even falling into evil destinations (duggati). This is not an external punishment, but the natural law of cause and effect (karma) created by the action itself.
The ethical life of the Sangha, unity, trust, and cooperation, is an essential condition for the Buddha’s Dharma to spread and develop. When the Sangha is divided, the Buddha’s Dharma declines, and beings lose opportunities for practice.
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