BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Buddhist Monastic Code 1sees X stealing tools in the dark and, because of his resemblance to Y, actuallythinks Y is the thief. One sees Y give a fatal blow to Z and actually thinks that Y'sintention was to kill Z. In either of these cases, if one then accuses Y of a pārājikaoffense, one incurs no penalty regardless of how the case comes out, although —as in the preceding rule — one should be careful to ask Y's leave before making thecharge and to have no intention of insulting him.Summary: Distorting the evidence while accusing a bhikkhu of having committed apārājika offense, in hopes of having him disrobed, is a saṅghādisesa offense.10. Should any bhikkhu agitate for a schism in a united Community,or should he persist in taking up an issue conducive to schism, thebhikkhus are to admonish him thus: "Do not, venerable sir, agitate fora schism in a united Community or persist in taking up an issueconducive to schism. Let the venerable one be reconciled with theCommunity, for a united Community, on courteous terms, withoutdispute, with a common recitation, dwells in peace."And should that bhikkhu, thus admonished by the bhikkhus, persist as before, thebhikkhus are to rebuke him up to three times so as to desist. If while being rebukedup to three times he desists, that is good. If he does not desist, it entails initial andsubsequent meetings of the Community.Schism. A schism is a serious division in the Community — so serious that, ifachieved in a dishonest way, it ranks with matricide, patricide, killing an arahant,and maliciously shedding the Tathāgata's blood as one of the five most heinouscrimes a person can commit (AN V.129).To qualify as a schism, the division has to meet five criteria:1) The Community is originally united, which means that it is composed ofbhikkhus of common affiliation living in the same territory.2) It contains at least nine bhikkhus.3) It becomes involved in a dispute over any of eighteen grounds for acreating a schism. In other words, one of the sides advocates any of thefollowing positions, explaining:Dhamma as not-Dhamma;not-Dhamma as Dhamma;Vinaya as not-Vinaya;not-Vinaya as Vinaya;what was not spoken by the Buddha as having been spoken by him;what was spoken by the Buddha as not;what was not regularly practiced by him as having been regularly practiced122