Ka Bu Pm Ss 10Causing Schism in the Saṅgha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Saṅghabheda
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The Saṅghabheda Sutta: The Harms of Schism in the Sangha
Context
The Saṅghabheda Sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma, specifically in the Ka Bu Pm Ss section. It is one of the gravest warnings the Buddha gave to the community of monastics, the Saṅgha.
In the history of the Sangha, schism in the Saṅgha is regarded as an action of the heaviest ethical weight. It is not merely a difference of opinion about secondary matters, but the deliberate creation of a separate group of monastics who refuse to follow the Dharma and Vinaya taught by the Buddha, or who oppose the decision of the Sangha community. This is an act that fundamentally damages the harmony and unity of the body of the Sangha.
Main Content
The Saṅghabheda Sutta clearly states the danger of causing division among monastics. According to the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, the Buddha determined that anyone who intentionally divides the body of the Sangha or conceals such division commits a grave offense, Mahāpātika or its equivalent.
Schism in the Saṅgha does not begin from a common aspiration, but from dark motives: greed, hatred, and delusion. Such people may exploit small disagreements about Dharma and Vinaya, or construct false theories in order to attract other monastics to their own faction. When the body of the Sangha is divided, the impact on the Buddha-Dharma is extremely profound: the faith of donors is shaken, monastics lose spiritual support from the community, and the spirit of practice declines.
The Vinaya Piṭaka also records how to handle schism when it occurs. The Sangha must assemble according to the proper Kamma procedure, condemn the actions of those who cause division, require them to confess and return to the unity of the Sangha. If they do not submit, they are removed from the body of the Sangha.
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