A at Ghosita's Park in Kosambī commits an offence but will not admit it, and the imposes a penalty on him; he gathers a faction and resists, and the monastics split into two parties, each holding its own ceremonies and abusing each other in the refectory and the streets. The Buddha urges them again and again to stop quarrelling, but they reply: “The Blessed One is the master of the Dhamma; let the Blessed One dwell at ease, this is our own affair.” The Buddha tells them the story of King Dīghīti: the family of King Dīghīti of Kosala was destroyed by King Brahmadatta of Kāsi, and the prince Dīghāvu in the end ended the feud by not taking revenge; still the monastics will not listen. The next day, after his alms round, the Buddha speaks verses before the assembly and goes away alone. Pali Canon
More sources (5)
Different Accounts
The cause: most Vinayas say it was a dispute over whether a monastic would admit an offence; the commentary on the Dhammapada of the Southern tradition says a monk who was a teacher of the Dhamma left water in the vessel in the latrine, and a monk expert in the Vinaya held that he had committed an offence; the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama says only that they were always fond of quarrelling, even coming at each other with knives and sticks.
More differences between accounts (3)
How the Buddha left: the Pali Vinaya says the Buddha walked alone to the village where his disciple Bhagu lived; the Chinese Madhyama Āgama says the Buddha rose into the air by supernormal power and departed; the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya says the Buddha returned to Sāvatthī by supernormal power (powers beyond those of ordinary people); the Chinese Mahīśāsaka Vinaya says the Buddha flew into the air, spoke verses and left; the Chinese Sarvāstivāda Vinaya says the Buddha went to the Ceti country and then to Sāvatthī; the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama says the Buddha went to the Vajjian country. Taishō Canon
The kings in the story: the Southern tradition has Brahmadatta, Dīghīti and Dīghāvu; the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya has Fanshi, Changsheng and Changmona (the young brahmin Dīgha); the Chinese Ekottarika Āgama says King Dīghīti was king of Sāvatthī.
The Chinese Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya says the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī and sent Upāli to Kosambī to settle the dispute.
Dating
From Year 9 after the Awakening to before the rainy season of Year 10 (the Buddha aged forty-three to forty-four); the Vinaya texts give no year, and it is inferred here from the order of the table of rains retreats, Year 9 at Kosambī and Year 10 in the Pārileyyaka forest, as falling roughly between these two years.
Related Entries
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Research Notes: Reliability, Dating and Sources
- How Reliability Is Assessed
Recorded by four schools: the Pali canon of the Southern tradition, the Chinese Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (Sifen lü), the Chinese Mahīśāsaka Vinaya (Wufen lü) and the Chinese Sarvāstivāda Vinaya (Shisong lü). Attested across multiple schools.
- Dating Evidence and Precision
Inferred from the sequence of events (neither the canonical texts nor the commentaries give the time; the year is worked out from the order of this event and those around it). Time precision: year uncertain.
Sources
- Pali Canon巴利律 Kd 10:1.1.1–4.1.1
- Pali Canon巴利 MN 128:1.2–7.1
- Pali Canon巴利 MN 48:1.2
- Pali Canon巴利 Ud 4.5:1.2–1.4
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Dhp-a
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 MN-a，§236
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Ja-a
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Mv-a，§464
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.879b–882c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.158c–160b
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1435 p.214a–215c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1425 p.327b–c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1425 p.333c
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.26 p.532c–535c
- 大正藏大正藏 T02 no.125 p.626b–629a
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.882c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.160a
- 大正藏大正藏 T23 no.1435 p.215c
- 大正藏大正藏 T02 no.125 p.629a
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1425 p.327c
- Pali Canon巴利律 Kd 10:2.3.0
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.26 p.532c
- 大正藏大正藏 T02 no.125 p.626c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.880b
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1421 p.158c–160a
- Pali Canon巴利律 Kd 10:3.1.1–3.1.43
- Pali Canon巴利 MN 128:5.1–7.1
- Pali Canon巴利 Dhp 6:1
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 Dhp-a，§5，PTS 1.53
- 大正藏大正藏 T01 no.26 p.535c
- 大正藏大正藏 T22 no.1428 p.882b
- 巴利註解書巴利註釋 MN-a，§491
- Pali Canon巴利律 Kd 10:1.1.1