Lzh Mi Bi Pm Pc 173Not Going Immediately When Sangha Has Agreed
Pāli / Sanskrit:Not going immediately when Sangha has agreed
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Discourse on Not Going Immediately When the Sangha Has Resolved
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of disciplinary rules for the Buddhist monastic community, reflecting the wisdom of the Buddha in maintaining harmony and order in the Sangha. This discourse belongs to the Pāṭimokkha, the list of 227 training rules for bhikkhus, and it deals with a very practical matter: obedience and the responsibility of a monastic toward a decision of the Sangha.
The context arose when the Sangha had assembled, discussed, and reached agreement on a matter concerning common work or communal discipline. Yet some bhikkhus did not comply with this decision promptly, or even deliberately failed to carry it out. This is an action that violates the principle of collective practice and respect for the decision of the community.
Main Content
The core point of this discourse lies in the principle that when the Sangha, the official community of practitioners, has assembled, discussed carefully, and reached agreement (saṃgati) on a matter, no monastic should delay or refuse to carry out that decision.
The conduct of "not going immediately" (ananugacchana) here is not merely simple delay. It may include refusing to join collective activities approved by the Sangha, deliberately delaying compliance, or expressing disapproval through prolonged silence. Such conduct is regarded as an offense (āpatti) against communal discipline.
The deeper reason for this rule is to maintain the integrity of the Sangha. In the Theravāda tradition, the Sangha is regarded as a living body, and each monastic is a part of it. When one part does not follow the common decision, the whole body is affected. That is why obedience is not merely an individual issue, but a matter of collective harmony (saṅghasāmaggī).
Practical Meaning
For modern monastics, this discourse has deep significance.
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