I feel like the sutta needs to be taken as a whole, not piecemeal. It clearly says that remaining silent or retreating leads to a horrible conclusion for the entire community, so this cannot possibly be advice that Buddha wants us to follow.
It also says that if the good-hearted mendicants are strong, then there will be no corruption, because the bad mendicants will stay silent or leave… so this must be the advice that Buddha wants us to follow. Do not retreat or remain silent, or evil will triumph (as I quoted in my previous post).
I don’t think this sutta is really that complicated.
The fact that they are forced to retreat is the horrible consequence.
I have already set a question to you which you ignored;
Is it better that the bad monks kill the good monks or is it better that the good monks leave? In which of the two cases do the good monks truly disappear?
now we have made a full circle back to me using the same ad absurdum argumentation in posing this question. Denial of leaving being the preferable option is absurd.
It is a legitimate question and it doesn’t have to go as far as murder because mere harassment, abuse, physical attacks, expulsion or forced disrobing are enough.
What is the alternative to the retreat, should they fight the strong bad monks when the good monks are weak? They will lose if they do. Sun Tzu 101 is to retreat when you are weak and the enemy is strong, for obvious reasons.
I am not going to respond further because this is going in circles.
I believe the point of the sutta is to not let the sanga become corrupt by being vigilant instead of retreating or being silent. So long as good-hearted monks remain vigilant, the bad monks will not take over the sanga.