Chapter X - DANDA VAGGA - The Rod of Punishment

KILL NOT

Sabbe tasanti dandassa sabbe bhayanti maccuno
Attanam upamam katva na haneyya na ghataye. [129]

X:01 The bhikkhus who quarrelled over a temple

Once, a group of bhikkhus were cleaning up a building in the Jetavana monastery with the intention of occupying it, when they were interrupted in their task by another group of bhikkhus who had arrived at the scene. The bhikkhus who had come later told the first group of bhikkhus who were cleaning the building,

'We are elderly and more senior to you, so you had better accord us every respect and give way to us; we are going to occupy this place and nothing will stop us from doing so.'

However, the first group of bhikkhus resisted the unwelcome intrusion by the senior bhikkhus and did not give in to their demands, whereupon they were beaten up by the senior bhikkhus till they could not bear the beatings and cried out in pain.

News of the commotion had reached the Buddha who, on learning about the quarrel between the two group of bhikkhus, admonished them and introduced the disciplinary rule whereby bhikkhus should refrain from hurting one another.