Lzh Sarv Bi Pm As 6Majority Decision

Discourse on Decision by Majority (Yebhuyyasika)

Background

The Yebhuyyasika Discourse (decision by majority) is a part of the Vinaya Pitaka, specifically belonging to the Patimokkha course, the basic code of the Buddhist Sangha. This discourse is recorded in the disciplinary rules of monks and nuns, especially in the section concerning how to handle disputes and make decisions within the monastic community.

The background for the appearance of this rule is linked to the development of the Sangha organization after the Buddha entered nirvana. As the community of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis grew, disputes and differences of opinion became unavoidable. Therefore Early Buddhism established lawful procedures to resolve these matters fairly and to ensure unity within the monastic body.

Main Content

Yebhuyyasika, “decision by majority,” states that when the Sangha needs to make an important decision, the official method is voting by majority. This is one of the formal methods of decision-making (pannatti, proclamation) in the Buddhist Sangha.

This procedure is applied when there is disagreement among members of the monastic body concerning disciplinary, doctrinal, or community-management matters. Members are allowed to express their views, after which a vote or decision is carried out by standing up or sitting down according to the convention of each community. The decision of the majority (yebhuyyatara) becomes the decision of the whole monastic body.

This rule is based on the principle of fairness, in which each member has the right to speak and decisions must be reached through the agreement of the majority. This reflects democratic management in Early Buddhism, in which the Buddha did not decide unilaterally, but empowered the Sangha to regulate its own rules.

Practical Meaning

The Yebhuyyasika Discourse has deep significance for maintaining harmony and order in the monastic community.