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VII, 3, 17.
DISSENSIONS IN THE ORDER.,
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Devadatta. Let not a division in the Samgha, O Devadatta, seem good to thee. Grievous, O Devadatta, is such division.'
17. Now the venerable Ananda, having dressed himself early in the morning, went duly bowled and robed into Ragagaha for alms. And Devadatta saw the venerable Ananda proceeding through Râgagaha for alms. On seeing that he went up to the venerable Ananda, and said to him: 'At once, from this day forth, friend Ananda, I intend to perform Uposatha, and to carry out the formal proceedings of the Order, without either the Blessed One or the Bhikkhu-samgha.'
And when the venerable Ananda had gone through Râgagaha for alms, and had returned from his rounds, and had finished his meal, he went to the Blessed One, and bowed down before him, and took his seat on one side. And when he was so seated, he told the Blessed One [what Devadatta had said, and added], .This very day, Lord, Devadatta will break up the Samgha.'
Then the Blessed One, when he heard that, gave utterance at that time to this expression of strong emotion :
* Easy is a good act to the good, a good act is hard to the wicked ;
'Easy is evil to the evil, but evil is hard for the Noble Ones to do.'
Here ends the Second Portion for Recitation.
the fragments of earlier verses, or the poetical forms of the verses below at VII, 5, 4, have crept into the prose here, where we should otherwise expect sagge and niraye.
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