Chapter III

Divisive Powers 
in Sangha

I

 

THE INNOCATION IN GROWTH

Although the Sangha was organized on a democratic basis, the Buddha still felt that after his death there would be discord among monks. In the Mahaparinibbanasuttanta (76-77), the Buddha taught the disciples that as long as the monks practice the following things, the Sangha will continue to flourish and not recede. These are:

(1)    Do not say frivolous things

(2)    Meet with each other as often as possible

(3)    Do all rituals in harmony

(4)    Listen to and respect the elders, especially the head of the Sangha.

These four shows that the Buddha is anxious for the harmony of the Sangha in the future. During the Buddha's time, there were two times the Sangha was severely cracked, but the two did not regard the two cases as real disagreements. The first occurred when he was in Kosambi because of a slight disagreement between the mages and the lawyers, while the second occurred when Devadatta asked the monks should follow the ascetic way more.

            In the Nikāyas as well as in the early scriptures there is some mention of the possibility of discord in the Sangha and that separating the Sangha is one of the great sins. In the Vinaya there are guidelines on when a disagreement in the Sangha should be considered as a common disharmony or anomalous discord. In the words of the First Buddhist Scripture, people are aware of the cracks in the Purana Presbyteris' refusal to accept all the texts that Mahakassapa and his disciples have regarded as "the Buddha Language "(Buddhavacana). In the Purana Presbyteris's insistence that some of the precepts be made clear that there was a lack of consensus in the Sangha immediately after the Buddha's passing. 

The Unrest in Kosambi

             In Kosambi there is a magician and a lawyer teaching two disciples about their particular moan. One day, the magician accidentally made a very slight offense to the other, and when he was found guilty, he apologized, but the lawyer still talked about this with his disciples and followers. . This provocative attitude of the lawyer and his group made the disciple and devotee of the mage unworthy, and there was profound divisions not only between the two groups but also between the two groups These two teachers. The Buddha intervened, but at first he did not reconcile the two sides and was so fed up that he wanted to go into the woods for the servants rather than being served by the people of the world or quarrel with one another. The attitude of the Buddha made the two teachers, together with their disciples and followers, to reconsider and resolve the discord.

  Devadatta

            Devadatta was almost a division of the Sangha, although the text of the Vinaya did not say so. Devadatta wanted more severe discipline, so he invited the Buddha to set forth the following five precepts for all monks:

1.       The monks must live in the forest

2.       The monks live only by giving food

3.       The monks wear cloth made of garbage

4.       The monks always stay under the tree and never under the roof

5.       The monks never eat fish or eat meat.

The Buddha disagreed with the proposal of Devadatta. He believed in the individual's self-awareness rather than the compulsive precepts, and so he allowed the monks to obey the precepts arbitrarily. There are momentum, but these are not compulsive for all the Bhikkhus. In the direct disciples of the Buddha there are some early monks. When the Buddha disappeared, Devadatta went to Gagasisa with some of his followers. Later, follow the Buddha, Sariputta and Moggallana, convince them to return to him.

 Things about the division of the Sangha in the Nikāyas

             Once upon a time Cunda and Ananda came to the Buddha to tell him that Nigantha Nataputta, the patriarch of the Deathly Hallows, had soon disappeared. The Buddha said that his disciples would not have any discord if they practiced his basic doctrine of 37 dharma. He also said that after his death, there may be disagreements over additional teachings, life, and precepts, but these discord should not be considered. importantly, if there is disagreement about the results, about legal monologue or collection, it is a pity and will be harmful to everyone. He teaches that in the small discourses mentioned above, bhikkhu guilty should be politely informed that they have interpreted something unusual, and for the good of the Sangha they should give up that idea. He said that one should choose one who is alert and understanding among the bhikkhus who do reconciliation work.

            In the Proverbs there are similar teachings with the addition that if a monk or a bhikkhu does not change his mind, he will be considered a sinner. In Anguttara there is an account of Ananda's presentation to the Buddha that an Anuruddha's student Bahiyi had a habit of causing trouble in the Bhikkhus and causing discord among the Sangha, which Anuruddha had said nothing to him. . The Buddha told Ananda that Anuruddha had never interfered in the Sangha's affairs, and that all the troubles had been solved by him or the saints of Sariputta and Moggallana.

            The Buddha taught that if it is not possible to reconcile with courtesy, then the seven things to resolve the dispute, ie, the destruction of the dharma, are described in the Majjhima Nikaya and the Divine. The Buddha says that all discord comes from the egoistic motivations of the bhikkhus or from their bad qualities. He also teaches that a bhikkhu who reconciles bhikkhunis groups will enjoy the next good as happiness and glory as brahma Brahma, and bhikkhu who causes discord in the Sangha will have to hell in a great lifetime.

            Definition of the division of the Sangha

             Not all arguments or differences in the Sangha are considered by the Buddha to be divisions of the Sangha, or the harmony of the Sangha (Sangha). The Vinaya is written as follows: "Not only does a proposal and election of dissenting doctrines differ from the unusual dissent, but the bhikkhus must also know that the doctrine is false. at least suspicious, and the divisions caused by their actions will or may harm the Dhamma. In other words, divisions must be deliberately caused by proposing a doctrine known to be false, or at least suspicious, or intended to be manifested or intended to harm the Dhamma. (Mahavagga, X). Obviously this definition is of the conservative, the Presbyterian, who always looks at all the others in a suspicious way, And all the other comments are bad motivation. It's possible that the opponents think their views do not come from negative motives that harm any teaching, so from a neutral position, bad intentions are not a factor in the Divide the Sangha. The essential factors are:

1.       Believe in opposing doctrine of one or more dogmas or precepts.

2.       The acceptance of such opposition by at least eight monks has been ordained.

3.       The separation of the eight or more bhikkhu should show that their opposition is the majority.

When the limited distribution of the eight Bhikkhus will be called the Sangharari. This limited number of looing suggests that Sangharaji can become Sanghabheda at any time by having another bhikkhu in the opposition. Of course, the necessary conditions are the sincere belief and the presence of ordained monks. (Cullavagga, VII).

 Differences in Opinion in the First Buddhist Scripture

             In the First Buddhist Scriptures, Mahātaka Mahātāna was very much desirous of receiving the Presbyterian's approval, especially Gavampati and Purana, for the texts that his council decided to refer to as the Buddha's Teachings. (Buddhavacana). Gavampati maintained a neutral attitude, that is, he did not wholeheartedly accept the council's decision as final, while the Purana Presbyterian said that it was impossible to accept the texts as the words of the Buddha. He insisted on incorporating into the Vinamilk the rules of food. The Vinaya of the Prophet not only maintained this eighty but also praised the Purana as one of the most talented teachers of the day.

            These historical details clearly show that the foundations of discord were planted in the Sangha during the Buddha's time, and flourished in the second century after he entered nirvana.

II

 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF INNOVATION IN GROWTH

 

            In the previous section, we see that the forces of dissonance were working inside the Sangha during the Buddha's time in the world and immediately after the Buddha entered nirvana. Considering this as well as the ecclesiastical status as expressed in the Nikāyas and in the Vinaya. We will see the following events of possible causes of discord in the Reformation.

Lacking a supreme leader of the Church

      The Buddha thought that imposing a heavy punishment for sectarian divisions would effectively prevent this, and that the Dhamma and his Comment would be enough to keep the Church intact. must have the designation of the head of the Church. He relied on the individual power of the teachings and precepts, and he taught that his teachings would be the guide after his passing (Digha Nikaya, II). Vassakara asked Ananda if the Buddha had designated the monk who would lead the people and where they would reside after his death. Anan answered no. Vassakara asked the Sangha to choose who to lead. Ananda replied no. Vassakara was curious to know why the church was still in harmony with no leader. "It's not that we have nothing to rely on," said Ananda. Dhamma is the place for us to take refuge. There is a book called the Patimokkha created by the omniscient, and the monks living in the same abode have to recite it in their monastery where they practice the Upanatha. . If there is something different or suspicious while reading, the Bhikkhus will interpret it according to the Dhamma (so they have the Dhamma for refuge) (Majjhima Nikaya III). In response to another Vassakara question, Ananda explained that there is no one who is the supreme leader of the Sangha, but in every residence there is a competent head, respected by the monks, And there is strong direction to keep so many of the people living together in harmony.

      In the recitation of the precepts, the Bhikkhus interpreted the profound words of the Buddha in different ways, and added new things into the interpretation, and passed them on behalf of the Buddha. . This was the case in most of the colonies scattered throughout northern India. In the heat of the PG communities at the time, no one was able to translate the multitude of different interpretations into a homogeneous mass, and transfer centrifugal centrifugal forces to strengthen the unity of the Sangha. Team.

      Venerable Mahatma Gandhi attempted to correct this mistake of the Sangha as a group by holding a Conclave, but as we saw above, he did not succeed completely.

Specialization in the Buddhist sciences

      Pali texts are full of words such as Suttantika, Vinayadhara, Matikadhara, or Dhammakathika. In Atthakatha there are also words like "Digha-bhanaka" and Majjhima Bhanaka, "who recite Digha Nikaya and Majjhima-Nikaya.

At that time people used words to record the teachings of the Buddha. The means to preserve his teachings for posterities is to recite and remember them, just as the method used in India dates back to the earliest days of the Vedic suttas. In the PG community we see the memory of the various parts of the Tripitaka delivered to different groups and then separated by time, and bear the names of the scriptures that each group is responsible for. Responsibility.

      In the first set, religious Ananda was asked to re-read the Sutra, while the sublime Upali read the Law. Thus, Ananda and Udom had to be known for having talent in their respective fields. We can see the components of such specialization in the disputes between mages and lawyers. Since they are in the same field of study, the mages have solidarity and mutual help, and so do the lecturers. Each group also considers the individual's interests to be the interests of everyone in the group, and when in conflict with another group, everyone defends their group.

      Since the monastery had the work of arranging the beds and the seats of the monks, a disciple of the Buddha, Dabba Mallaputta, also did the work. The ordained monks who study the same discipline will be in the same place, so that those who study the sutras can recite the sutras together, the lawyers can discuss the precepts together and the sorcerers will speak. about the doctrine for each other. It is not uncommon for these groups to disagree. Everyone in the group would like to see their group dominate other groups, in terms of seating as well as food intake, during the gathering or during the after-dinner time.

      These groups have been organized to study and recite a particular branch of the Tripitaka, over time absorbing the special teachings of each group, and thus each group grows into A different school from the other sects of PG. The Theravadin evolved from a group of lawyers, the Sautrabtika, who came from the Sarvastivada, a study of the suttas, developed by a group of scholarly scholars. The Vaibhasika is composed of the Vibhasa commentary studies.

Team up around famous teachers

      The groups formed not only to preserve the scriptures but also from the monks gathered around a famous teacher. The Buddha gave honor to some of his disciples by praising them for attaining the power in a certain field of the Buddha Dharma (Vinaya, II, pp. 75, 76). Among them are the following ten chief disciples: - (i) first-rate Sariputta; (ii) the Mahamoggallana, the supernatural; (iii) Anuruddha of the first eye; (iv) Mahakassapa the first leading; (v) Punna Mahtaniputta the first sermon; (vi) Malakaccayana first argument; (vii) Rahula the first scholar; (viii) (Revata Khadiravaniya), the first hermit; (ix) Ananda (Ananda) and the most prevalent (x) Upali premonition) precepts.

      The Buddha indirectly told his new disciples that the teachers would best meet each other's precepts. So these groups of disciples will practice around a teacher, so that the sentence "dhatuso satta samsandabti sametti" implies teachers who do this. In the Samyutta Nikaya, we see the Ten Elderly-Benefactors, Section-Concubines, Phoenicians, and others, each with ten to four students, each he has the special ability as their teacher. Thus, the teachings with Yasukutra-laity are the great wisdom, those who learn with him-Moggeni are the divine beings, those who learn with Big Lettuce are the momentum, the people Founders of the Optical Department (Kasyapiya).

            About a thousand years later, Xuanzang realized that during the holidays, the lecturers held ceremonies for Lord Siva-Phat, the lawyers held ceremonies to Uda-ba-ly, the novices to worship Lord La -a la, the masters made offerings to Mr. Phu-long-na, the meditator meditating ceremony Mr. Mu-link, bhikkhuni nourishment to Ananda, Manjusri and Bodhisattvas.

      In the first four monks, the similarity between them and the teachers is obvious. The three classes are similar, but not obvious. Meditation practitioners worshiped him, because he was the only meditation teacher who could attain the state of concentration, and the nuns worshiped Ananda because he was the one who asked for Germany. The Buddha established the Nuns.

      The main similarities between the disciples and their mentors are the ties that tie them together, but these are only qualities of each teacher's quality. The distinction between groups of disciples is not about the differences in doctrine, but only on the level of competence of each group, in some aspects of the Dharma. But these distinctions, though not emanating from the great differences of doctrine, have become standard over time, and later reintegration becomes impossible due to the centrifugal tendencies that these groups emit. They function naturally as separate entities. So the division of capital does not emanate from a certain doctrinal difference, but gradually produces differences in doctrine and develops into full sects.

A great deal of precepts

We have seen in the Devadatta that the Buddha allowed his disciples to enjoy a certain degree of observance of the precepts. He focuses more on the discipline of mind than the discipline of the body. In a discussion with Ubiquita, a disciple of Nigantha Nataputta, the Buddha said that he considered manodanga to be more important than the karmic discipline of cultivation. In the Mahayana Sutra, his teaching on the abolition of small disciplines clearly shows his views and external discipline. In short, he considered the practice of mind much more important than morality. He knows the value of the precepts for the beginner, but the precepts are not all, nor the purpose of the Dharma. On the basis of the historical development of the precepts we will see the Buddha transferring one thing to another so that his disciples are comfortable in discipline. His precepts are not rigid. He made exceptions for monks living in unfavorable localities. In those countries where the religion is less difficult to obtain, so, at the request of Laccayana and Phu-nan, the Buddha made some exceptions to the rules of organization. a meeting of the bhikkhus and the use of leather sandals and other banned objects for the bhikkhus who live in Central India.

      It is especially noteworthy that when a Bhikkhu in Bhajan says that he has difficulty keeping the 250 precepts of the precepts, the Buddha replies that he will be happy if the bhikkhu practices the three teachings ( three Siksas). He wants to say that morality is only a small part of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Aspirant practice

            From personal experience, the Buddha set out the middle way for his disciples, avoiding the practice of asceticism as means of achieving the results. The Buddha was practicing asceticism nghiemkhac way, and he found that almond asceticism can not help her perform works instructive beings [1] . So in his precepts none talk about austerity [2] . But there is much evidence that the Buddha praised the bhikkhus for performing the alms. [3]ø. He allows these strong persons to be free, who believes in the effect of asceticism and dissatisfaction with a religion that does not have ascetic practices. One of the closest disciples of the Buddha, the Great One, is the advocate of suffering, and the Buddha can not help his disciples like Mahatma Gandhi do their way. Thus the hermit retreat in the forest was favored during the early days of the PG, and so in the Vinaya there are special things for the monks hiding in the forest to be asked to attend the Bhikkhu baptisms. They are held half a month, even though they are exempt from rituals.

Faith is more important than morality

We can not know exactly when the firm belief in the Three Jewels is considered as the means of achieving Nirvana. In the "Vatthupamasutta," there is a point that is greatly emphasized that a bhikkhu who has solidarity with the Three Jewels may not need to follow the rules of food. It adds that a bhikkhu has a firm belief that there is no need to practice the precepts for all the bhikkhus. [4]

            In the above, we can conclude that the Buddha did not consider the strict precepts of the Vinaya rules, even after his passing, his disciples were over-emphasized. They become more formal each and every time, and do not know how to use their self-control behaviors. A little away from the Vinaya rules also makes them sinners, although such offenses do not affect much of the practice. The mass protest is not bad, and we can say that the Theravadin exaggerated this. We do not mean to justify a relaxation of morality, but when morality means to obey a literal set of norms outside, then one has the right to revise the nature of those precepts.END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.20/7/2018.