San Lo Bu Pm Ss 10Causing Schism in the Saṅgha

Source Status

The data indicates that this entry has the number “San Lo Bu Pm Ss 10,” the Vietnamese title “Phá Hòa Hợp Tăng,” the English title “Causing Schism in the Saṅgha,” the Pali title “Saṅghabheda,” and belongs to “Sectarian Scriptures · Comparative” and “Comparative Vinaya — Sanskrit.” The full source text is not provided. The old Vietnamese text is truncated immediately after an opening heading, so the full structure, details of formulation, and Vinaya handling cannot be confirmed. The version below is a cautious AI interpretation based on the descriptive information and the truncated ending; it is not a translation of the original scripture.

Context

The title “Saṅghabheda” allows the major theme to be identified: breaking the harmony of the Sangha. This is a serious subject in Buddhist Vinaya, because the Sangha is not merely a collection of individuals living together, but an environment of reliance for learning the Dharma, practicing, transmitting the teaching, and serving as a field of merit for the world. When harmony is broken, the harm does not stop at the relationship between a few people; it can shake faith, divide the community, and make practice and study burdensome.

The truncated ending speaks of intentionally going against the Buddha’s teaching in order to create separate groups, of motives such as ambition, conceit, or delusion, and of consequences that weaken collective strength and harm the spread of the Dharma. These ideas accord with the ethical direction suggested by the title, but it must be remembered that the data does not contain the full text. Therefore, one should not invent persons, stories, chapters, or specific forms of penalty.

In the context of Vinaya study, harmony in the Sangha does not mean that everyone must agree mechanically. Harmony is the ability to rely together on the Dharma and Vinaya in order to resolve disagreements, maintain respect, and not turn personal views into tools for forming factions. Disagreement can be an opportunity for clarification if handled with right view; but when led by gain, fame, ego-clinging, and the desire to draw followers, it becomes a seed of division.

Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

From the descriptive information, it can be determined that this entry discusses “causing schism in the Saṅgha,” that is, conduct that creates division in the Sangha. The Vietnamese text ending helps identify the axes of content already interpreted: intentionally forming an opposing group, promoting views that fracture the community, using misunderstanding or personal ambition to draw others away from harmony, and the need for instruction or discipline to correct such conduct.

The data does not allow the degree of offense, the procedure of admonition, or the precise disciplinary treatment to be determined. Therefore, this version presents only the principle: causing schism in the Sangha is serious because it directly affects the foundation of the community of practice. The Sangha exists through shared trust in the Dharma and Vinaya, through mutual respect, and through the ability to place the goal of liberation above private opinion. When someone intentionally severs that current, that person is not merely creating social conflict, but also obstructing the path of practice for many people.

A noteworthy point is that the agent of division often does not see himself as destructive. He may speak in the name of correctness, reform, or the protection of tradition. For this reason, Vinaya discipline does not examine only surface words but also motive, method, and consequence. If a concern is raised in a spirit of humility, transparency, reliance on the Dharma, and the aim of healing, it differs from inciting factions, sowing suspicion, and weakening shared trust.

Meaning for Practice

For practitioners, “Causing Schism in the Sangha” is a warning about the power of speech and personal positions. An unverified statement, a malicious judgment, a silence that nourishes factions, or a half-hidden way of passing on information can all make a community lose its peace. Practice is not only keeping the mind still while seated in meditation; practice is also knowing whether one’s words are joining or dividing.

The important lesson is to distinguish integrity from obstinacy. Integrity dares to raise a problem when something is wrong, but does so with a mind that wishes to heal and through a transparent method. Obstinacy uses the problem to reinforce the ego, seek supporters, and weaken faith in the community. A Buddhist practitioner should ask: will what I am about to say clarify the truth, is it timely, is it necessary, is it spoken with a mind of loving-kindness, and does it help bring the listener back to the Dharma?

In the modern setting, division does not occur only in monasteries. It can occur in Dharma centers, Buddhist study groups, families, charitable organizations, or online spaces. Wherever there is a community, there is a need to learn how to preserve harmony without concealing the truth. True harmony is not avoidance of all conflict, but the handling of conflict with wisdom, discipline, and compassion.

Comparative Note

The full source text is not available to confirm the details of the rule “Saṅghabheda.” The complete text should be compared before speaking about the procedure of handling, Vinaya terminology, or the degree of offense according to a specific system. The ideas concerning ambition, conceit, communal consequences, and the correction of conduct are retained at the level of interpretation based on the truncated ending, not as literal translation. When the source becomes available, the original text, the Vinaya explanation, and the modern application to practice should be clearly separated.