Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Ss 10Causing Schism in the Saṅgha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Saṅghabheda
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SUTTA ON CAUSING DIVISION IN THE SANGHA
Background
The Saṅghabheda Sutta (Causing Division in the Sangha) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the early Buddhist tradition and contains the highest disciplinary rules intended to protect the unity of the Sangha, the community of bhikkhus. This is not a spiritual discourse but one of the strictest prohibitions in Buddhist discipline.
The Sangha is one of the three fundamental jewels of Buddhism, the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Harmony in the Sangha is regarded as an essential condition for the Buddhadharma to endure and flourish. When conflicts and divisions occur in the Sangha, they weaken collective strength, obstruct shared practice and study, and harm the faith of the lay community, upāsakas and upāsikās.
The Vinaya Piṭaka records many specific cases in early Buddhist history when individuals or groups deliberately caused division. This sutta clearly sets out the nature, actions, and consequences of the offense that causes the Sangha to be divided.
Main Content
The Saṅghabheda Sutta establishes that deliberately creating division in the Sangha, by whatever means, is one of the most serious acts. This includes:
Intentionally separating the Sangha into two or more opposing groups with the purpose of weakening unity. This action may be expressed through inciting bhikkhus or bhikkhunīs to rise up against leadership, preaching teachings that do not accord with the recognized Dharma and Vinaya, or causing a group to separate from the community and practice in a different way.
Specific prohibited actions include: inciting members to defect from the Sangha; raising separate funds to support a particular group; isolating those who disagree; or proclaiming reformed doctrines that the Buddha never taught.
The consequence of the offense of Saṅghabheda is extremely grave.
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