Traditions: Pāli Majjhima Nikāya 31; Pāli Majjhima Nikāya 128 Motif: A community practices harmony amid conflict Connection verdict: Related descriptions of the same group of practitioners Article status: Expanded Date: 2026-10-29
Summary
MN 31 and MN 128 both describe Anuruddha and fellow monks living together with mutual consideration.
Read the two scenes
The Buddha asks how the monks live together, and they describe bodily, verbal, and mental kindness and a willingness to set aside personal preference. In MN 128, that scene stands against an earlier community quarrel and leads into a discussion of difficulties in concentration. MN 31 dwells more fully on the peaceful group’s manner and attainment. A comparison should not present harmony as mere absence of disagreement. The texts describe habits that make shared life possible, while also situating contemplative training within that life.
What connects—and what does not
MN 128 places the peaceful group after a quarrel among monks; MN 31 gives a fuller visit and discussion of their shared life and meditative progress.
The recurring named practitioners make the link concrete, though the relationship between redacted discourse versions is not settled here.
Why read them side by side?
A named community can become an answer to a conflict story and a detailed model of everyday cooperation.
Sources and reading notes
- MN 31, The Shorter Discourse at Gosiṅga — Pāli Buddhist text and translation; inspect the wider discourse.
- MN 128, Imperfections — Pāli Buddhist text and translation; inspect the wider discourse.
Research limit
A named parallel can establish literary reuse or related tradition; a general resemblance alone cannot prove borrowing. Linked editions and translations vary. Where a source is identified as secondary orientation, the comparison does not claim direct close reading of that tradition’s primary text.