San Sarv Bu Pm Tf 11 As 6Majority Decision

Yebhuyyasikā Sutta (Majority Decision)

Background

Yebhuyyasikā is a normative text belonging to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. This text lies in the section concerning forms of decision-making in the community of monks and nuns (Saṅgha), especially when matters related to monastic discipline must be resolved.

The historical background for establishing these rules is connected with the development of the Sangha after the Buddha’s Nirvana. As the community became widely spread, conflicts in the understanding and practice of the Dharma naturally arose. Therefore, fair and democratic methods of decision-making needed to be established in order to maintain unity and harmony in the Saṅgha.

The Yebhuyyasikā text reflects this spirit: it is one of the basic legal mechanisms ensuring that important decisions are made according to the collective will, not according to personal interest or powerful individuals.

Main Content

Yebhuyyasikā, translated as “decision by majority,” stipulates that when the Sangha must make a decision (vinaya-kamma) concerning disciplinary matters, the appropriate form is to follow the majority of affirmative votes. This is one of the principal forms of decision-making in the Vinaya: voting (yebhuyyasikā), agreement (sammutti), motion (ñatti), and other related forms.

The basic principle is that a decision is considered lawful when it is approved by more than half of the Sangha members present. This ensures that decisions are not made unilaterally by an individual or a small group, but express the common will of the monastic community.

The text also addresses the conditions for a vote to be considered valid: the Sangha must be clearly informed of the matter to be voted on; the members must be competent to participate, not persons who have been barred or expelled; and there must be no exploitation or fraud in the voting process.