Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c28.5

v2.c28.5

At Kosambī, there were two teachers, one a Dhammadhara and the other a Vinayadhara, both imparting instructions in their respective subjects to two different groups of students. One day the Dhammadhara teacher committed a very light offence through inadvertence and when pointed out he expressed regret for it, but this was talked about by the Vinayadhara teacher among his students and lay-devotees. The students and lay-admirers of the Dhammadhara teacher became offended at this provocative attitude of the Vinayadhara teacher and his followers, and there was a sharp cleavage not only between the two groups of students but also between their respective lay-devotees. Buddha intervened, and at first failed to make up the difference, and it was out of sheer disgust that he preferred to retire to the forest to be served by an elephant than by quarrelling people of the world. At this attitude of the Teacher, the quarrelling teachers, students and lay public came to their senses and settled their dispute.¹ This episode cannot strictly be called a *sanghabheda*, but it shows the possibility of dissensions in the Sangha.