Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Ss 10Causing Schism in the Saṅgha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Saṅghabheda
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DISCOURSE ON SCHISM IN THE SANGHA (Saṅghabheda)
Context
The discourse on "Schism in the Sangha" (Saṅghabheda) is transmitted in the Vinaya Pitaka of the Theravāda tradition and preserved in ancient Vinaya collections such as the Sarvāstivāda. This discourse is directly related to one of the serious Parivāsanā offenses, among the gravest acts in the monastic law of the Sangha after the four Pārājika defeats.
The historical context of the discourse records events after the Buddha entered nirvana. As the Sangha began to take shape, conflicts over doctrine, rules, or authority arose among the monks. Saṅghabheda, schism in the Sangha, is considered an extremely grave wrongdoing because it destroys the unity and harmony (Saṅgha Samāggi) that Buddhists regard as one of the most sacred and living traditions.
Main Content
The Saṅghabheda discourse establishes that deliberately causing schism in the Sangha is an act most deeply condemned. The Sangha is not a loose collection of independent practitioners, but a Dharma community (Sanghasammuti), where harmony and equality in the Dharma are foundational.
Schism in the Sangha may occur in many ways: causing disputes over doctrine, inciting monks not to follow the rules of discipline, stirring up conflict between groups of monastics, or deliberately undermining reverence for the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The discourse records that such acts lead to extremely weighty karmic consequences. One who causes schism in the Sangha not only violates the discipline, but also creates an obstacle to the propagation of the Dharma.
Different Vinaya traditions (Theravāda, Sarvāstivāda, Mahāsāṅghika) all recognize Saṅghabheda as one of the most serious prohibited offenses. It is classified not as a minor fault that can be corrected easily, but as an act that destroys the spiritual harmony of the community of practice.
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