Saṁghabhedakakkhandhaka

The Saṅghabhedakakkhandhaka, “the Chapter on schism”, begins by telling the story of the going forth of a number of the Buddha’s relatives, including Anuruddha and Devadatta. The story continues with Devadatta’s ambition to lead the Sangha—including the story of King Ajātasattu murdering his father and Devadatta’s attempts to kill the Buddha—his actions eventually resulting in schism. As part of this the Buddha lays down an “announcement procedure”, <i lang='pi' translate='no'>pakāsanīyakamma</i>, by which the Sangha can distance itself from the actions of any particular individual. The chapter concludes with a technical discussion on schism.