18. Disunity in the Sangha

Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:

“Ekadhammo, bhikkhave, loke uppajjamāno uppajjati bahujanāhitāya bahujanāsukhāya bahuno janassa anatthāya ahitāya dukkhāya devamanussānaṁ.

Katamo ekadhammo?

Saṅghabhedo.

Saṅghe kho pana, bhikkhave, bhinne aññamaññaṁ bhaṇḍanāni ceva honti, aññamaññaṁ paribhāsā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ parikkhepā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ pariccajanā ca honti.

Tattha appasannā ceva nappasīdanti, pasannānañca ekaccānaṁ aññathattaṁ hotī”ti.

Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.

Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:

“Āpāyiko nerayiko,

Kappaṭṭho saṅghabhedako;

Vaggārāmo adhammaṭṭho,

Yogakkhemā padhaṁsati;

Saṅghaṁ samaggaṁ bhetvāna,

Kappaṁ nirayamhi paccatī”ti.

Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

This was said by the Lord…

“There is one thing, bhikkhus, which, when it appears in the world, appears for the detriment of many people, for the misery of many people, for the loss, detriment, and suffering of devas and humans. What is that one thing? It is disunity in the Sangha. When the Sangha is divided there are mutual quarrels, mutual recriminations, mutual denigrations, and mutual expulsions. In this situation those who are unsympathetic are not converted and some who are sympathetic change their minds.”

One who divides the Sangha
Abides in a state of misery, in hell,
For the aeon’s full duration.
Delighting in dissent, unrighteous,
He is deprived of security from bondage;
By dividing a unified Sangha
He suffers in hell for an aeon.