Udāna 48

Heartfelt Sayings 5.8

Schism in the Saṅgha

1 So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time Venerable Ānanda robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for alms.

2 Devadatta saw him wandering for alms, so he went up to him and said, “From this day forth, Reverend Ānanda, I shall perform the sabbath and legal proceedings of the Saṅgha apart from the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants.”

3 Then Ānanda wandered for alms in Rājagaha. After the meal, on his return from almsround, he went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had just happened, adding:

4 “Today, sir, Devadatta will split the Saṅgha. He will perform the sabbath and legal proceedings of the Saṅgha.”

5 Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:

6 “It’s easy for the good to do good,

but for the bad, doing good is hard.

For the bad, it’s easy to do bad,

but for the noble ones, doing bad is hard.”