The Root of Division: When More Means Weaker

Since childhood, I have carried with me a saying that left me wondering for years: "One Japanese person loses to one Vietnamese person, two Japanese people equal two Vietnamese people, but three Japanese people surpass three Vietnamese people." What does this saying imply? Are we Vietnamese weaker the more numerous we become? And why do we so love to divide one another?

What is division?

Division means wanting to pull away, refusing to join hearts and efforts with others to accomplish something together. But if there is no shared work, then acting separately is not considered division. For example, a person sitting quietly solving a math problem, or a painter setting up a canvas to paint — that is necessity, not division. But when a task requires many people working together, and each person follows their own ideas, does their own thing, and does not help one another, that is when we call it division.

"Division means wanting to pull away, refusing to join hearts and efforts with others to accomplish something together. That is the general meaning."

Why do we become weaker as we grow in number?

Thầy Chân Quang recalls the story of the twelve military domains during the time of Đinh Tiên Hoàng. Each domain claimed to serve the country with its own ideals, yet they fragmented, each acting on its own. Later, during the resistance against the French, heroes such as Phan Đình Phùng, Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, and Nguyễn Trung Trực were all courageous people, but because they could not gather the strength of the whole people, they failed before the French weapons. That is a great lesson: division weakens.

"Division always weakens. And to accomplish anything, one must be strong."

Then there is the story of the bundle of chopsticks told by an old father before his death. He handed the bundle to his children and asked them to break it — no one could break the whole bundle, but when the chopsticks were separated one by one, they snapped easily. That lesson has been passed down through many generations, yet it has faded. Today, we must remember it again: to accomplish something great, we must unite.

Division within the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)

Thầy Chân Quang shares that soon after the Buddha passed away, the monks quickly split in their thinking. During the first council to compile the scriptures, Venerable Mahākāśyapa held firmly to the old rules, while Venerable Puṇṇa proposed loosening them to fit reality. The disagreement led Venerable Puṇṇa to leave, taking many other monks with him. From that arose the Mahāsāṃghika and Sthaviravāda schools, which later split into more than twenty sects. Today, there are many associations and traditions. That in itself is not wrong, but if people cling to their sect, their region, or their method of practice, they lose the spirit of unity.

"The Buddha said there is no class when our blood is equally red. When our tears are equally salty."

Thầy also reminds us that often we study the teaching of patience, yet the moment we are scolded, we forget it all, rushing to justify ourselves and argue over who is right. Likewise, when it comes to sects, we easily forget the Buddha's words and simply want to defend "our side." Therefore, we must rise above methods of practice to see the root, which is virtue and compassion.

The root cause of division

According to Thầy Chân Quang, the origin of division lies in differing views, clinging to the self, and struggling for influence. He tells how, before liberation, the Buddhist associations also split into factions, each with its own charter and regulations. Yet what is touching is that lay Buddhists were not divided — they bowed at any temple and made offerings at any hermitage, because they had absorbed the Buddha's teaching on non-discrimination.

"The root lies in virtue, in compassion. So what are you practicing? You are practicing meditation. Do you have compassion and love for sentient beings? You say yes. Then that is enough."

It is precisely because people cling to their sect and their method of practice that they fall into rivalry, discrimination, and competition. Instead, let us contribute sincerely, rather than trying to push others down to lift ourselves up.

Unity born of sincerity

The solution to division lies in a very simple attitude: contributing sincerely. A dharma teacher does not teach to show off or to compete for followers, but to share what is beneficial. That sincere mind/heart itself creates no division. And each lay Buddhist should likewise never harm unity by advertising their own teacher or their own temple.

"Sincere contribution alone creates no division."

Let us remember the lesson of the bundle of chopsticks. Each of us is a single chopstick, easily broken, but when we join hearts and efforts together, we create an extraordinary strength. Within the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), unity is itself a practice. Let us practice letting go of the ego, contribute with a pure mind/heart, and let love spread. In this way, society becomes warmer, and each person's path of practice becomes more stable and secure.