Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c28.14

v2.c28.14

Though Buddha did not admit that there was any dissension in his Saṅgha, he was fully conscious of the possibility of such dissensions. It is clear from his sayings here and there that he strongly apprehended dissensions among his followers. He laid stress upon the importance of samaggā parisā (concord in the saṅgha) and pointed out in one of his last discourses that so long as his disciples would perform the ecclesiastical functions in concord, the welfare of the Saṅgha was assured. Once Cunda and Ānanda approached him with the news of the death of Nigaṇtha Nātaputta and informed him about the quarrels that immediately followed his death among his disciples. Buddha assured them that among his disciples there was no disagreement as far as his fundamental teaching, consisting of the 37 *Bodhipakkhiya dhammas*,¹ was concerned. There might be, after his death, he said, some differences of opinion relating to *abhi-dhamma* (*atireka-dhamma* = minor points of doctrine),² *ājīvājīva* (minor rules of livelihood) and *adhi-pātimokkha* (minor rules of discipline) but these should be treated as negligible (*appamattake*), but should there be any differences relating to the fruits (*magga*), path (*paṭipadā*) or the congregation (*sangha*), it would be a matter of regret and cause harm to the gods and the people.³ In differences of minor matters, as mentioned above, his instruction was that the erring monks should be politely pointed out that they were putting a different interpretation on a text or misreading a text, and that in the interest of the Sangha, they should give it up; for practical purposes, he suggested, that a sane and reasonable member among the erring monks should be selected for the purpose.⁴ In the *Sanghādisesa* section of the *Pātimokkha* appear similar instructions (*vide* rules 10-11) with the addition that if the erring monk or monks do not change their views, he or they should be treated as guilty of the *Sanghādisesa* offence. In the *Anguttara*⁵ there is a reference to Ānanda complaining to Buddha that Anuruddha’s disciple Bāhiyo was in the habit of picking up quarrels among the monks and causing dissension in the Sangha while his teacher would not say a word to him. Buddha pacified Ānanda by saying that Anuruddha had never interfered in Sangha matters, and that all such disputes had so far been settled by himself or Sāriputta and Moggallāna.