Ud 5.8

Saṅghabhedasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ānando tadahuposathe pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.

Schism in the Saṅgha

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.

Addasā kho devadatto āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ rājagahe piṇḍāya carantaṁ. Disvāna yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca: “ajjatagge dānāhaṁ, āvuso ānanda, aññatreva bhagavatā aññatra bhikkhusaṅghā uposathaṁ karissāmi saṅghakammāni cā”ti.

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.”

Atha kho āyasmā ānando rājagahe piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

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:

“Idhāhaṁ, bhante, pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisiṁ. Addasā kho maṁ, bhante, devadatto rājagahe piṇḍāya carantaṁ. Disvāna yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ etadavoca: ‘ajjatagge dānāhaṁ, āvuso ānanda, aññatreva bhagavatā aññatra bhikkhusaṅghā uposathaṁ karissāmi saṅghakammāni cā’ti. Ajja, bhante, devadatto saṅghaṁ bhindissati, uposathañca karissati saṅghakammāni cā”ti.

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

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

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

“Sukaraṁ sādhunā sādhu, Sādhu pāpena dukkaraṁ; Pāpaṁ pāpena sukaraṁ, Pāpamariyehi dukkaran”ti.

“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.”