Lzh Mi Bu Vb Ss 11Following a Schismatic

Exposition of the Bhedānuvattaka Sutta (Following a Schismatic)

Background

The Bhedānuvattaka sutta appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Saṃghādisesa section - rules requiring formal communal resolution. It is recorded in the early historical context of the Sangha, when divisions in belief and practice began to appear.

According to the Theravāda tradition, the Buddha Śākyamuni taught that the unity of the Sangha is exceedingly precious. Yet some bhikkhus did not follow the common decisions of the monastic community; instead they followed a "schismatic" group (bheda) - a group that had separated from the official tradition. The Bhedānuvattaka sutta gives instructions on how to handle such cases.

It is not a discourse on awakening, but a set of specific disciplinary rules intended to protect the integrity and unity of the Sangha.

Main Content

Bhedānuvattaka deals with the situation in which a bhikkhu deliberately follows a schismatic group, even after being admonished by the Sangha. According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, when the Sangha has determined that a particular group is schismatic - those who have separated and hold independent views about the Dharma or Vinaya - those who continue to follow them commit a Saṃghādisesa offense.

Saṃghādisesa is the gravest class of offense apart from Pārājika in the bhikkhu disciplinary system. It requires formal communal resolution before the Sangha. The offending bhikkhu must acknowledge the fault, undergo a separate uposatha for two weeks, and then complete a complex process of rehabilitation.

The sutta emphasizes that those who "follow" (anuvattaka) a schismatic group - that is, who share its views, attend its separate meetings, or refuse to take part in the common acts of the Sangha - are all regarded as accomplices. There is no exception. Whatever the motive, support for schism is considered a violation of the Vinaya.