Section outline
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Lesson 1.3.9 Saṅghabhedasuttaṃ - The Schism in the Saṅgha
Veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe near Rājagaha was a favourite place where the Buddha liked to dwell. It occurred near this park that the Buddha’s adversary and famous antagonist, Devadatta, approached Ānanda to announce a schism in the Saṅgha. The Saṅghabhedasutta presents this very situation and the expanded Introduction relates the history of this animosity towards the Buddha. Devadatta proves the accuracy of the Buddha’s statement in the previous lesson (1.3.8 Caṅkamasuttaṃ - Bound Together by Inclinations) that those having low inclination connect and associate with those having low inclination, intent on evil: ‘Hīnādhimuttikā hīnādhimuttikehi saddhiṃ saṃsandanti samenti.’ It was here that the Enlightened One uttered this ‘exclamation of joy’ (udāna) which shows that the Saṅghabhedasutta is selected from Udānapāḷi.