Vinaya Texts, Part I: The Pâtimokkha and the Mahâvagga I–IV — SBE Vol. 13 (trans. Rhys Davids & Oldenberg, 1881)

‘Let no one, O Bhikkhus, ordain a person unless he has been asked to do so. He who does, commits a dukka/a offence. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that you ordain only after having been asked.

2. ‘And (a Bhikkhu) ought: to be asked in this way: Let him who desires to receive the upasampad ordination, go to the Samgha, adjust his upper robe so as to cover one shoulder, salute the feet of the Bhikkhus with his head, sit down squatting, raise his joined hands, and say: “I ask the Samgha, reverend Sirs, for the upasampada ordination ; might the Samgha, reverend Sirs, draw me out (of the sinful world) out of compassion towards me.” And for the second time, &c.; and for the third time let him ask, &c.

3. ‘Then let a learned, competent Bhikkhu proclaim the following #atti before the Samgha: “Let the Samgha, reverend Sirs, hear me. This person N.N. desires to receive the upasampada ordination from the venerable N. N.; N.N. asks the Samgha for the upasampada ordination with N.N. as upagghaya. If the Samgha is ready, &c.!””’

* Here follows the complete formula of a fattisatuttha kamma, as in chap. 28. 4-6. The only difference is, that here in the “atti, as well as in the three questions, the words ‘N. N. asks the Samgha for the upasampada ordination with N. N. as upagghaya’ are inserted after the words ‘ desires to receive the upasampada ordination from the venerable N. N.’

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30.

1. At that time an arrangement had been made at Ragagaha that the Bhikkhus were to receive excellent meals successively (in the houses of different rich updsakas). Now (one day) a certain Brahmaza thought: ‘Indeed the precepts which these Sakyaputtiya Samavas keep and the life they live are commodious ; they have good meals and lie down on beds protected from the wind?. What if I were to embrace the religious life among the Sakyaputtiya Samamas?’ Then this Brahmaza went to the Bhikkhus and asked them for the pabbag 4 ordination ; the Bhikkhus conferred the pabbagg4 and upasam pada ordinations on him.

2. When he had been ordained, the arrangement of successive meals (with the rich updsakas) came to anend. The Bhikkhus said to him: ‘Come, friend, let us now go on our rounds for alms.’

He replied: ‘I have not embraced the religious life for that purpose—to going about for alms; if you give me (food), I will eat; if you do not, I will return to the world.’

(The Bhikkhus said): ‘What, friend! have you indeed embraced the religious life for your belly’s sake ?’

‘Yes, friends.’

3. The moderate Bhikkhus were annoyed, murmured, and became angry: ‘How can a Bhikkhu embrace the religious life in so well-taught a doctrine and discipline for his belly’s sake ?’

1 On this curious expression, compare Kullavagga IV, 4, 8. It is frequently repeated below,

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These Bhikkhus told this thing to the Blessed One.

(The Buddha said): ‘Is it true, O Bhikkhu, that you have embraced the religious life for your belly’s sake ?’

It is frequently repeated below,

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These Bhikkhus told this thing to the Blessed One.

(The Buddha said): ‘Is it true, O Bhikkhu, that you have embraced the religious life for your belly’s sake ?’

(He replied): ‘It is true, Lord.’

Then the blessed Buddha rebuked that Bhikkhu: ‘How can you, foolish person that you are, embrace the religious life in so well-taught a doctrine and discipline for your belly’s sake? This will not do, O foolish one, for converting the unconverted and for augmenting the number of the converted.’

Having rebuked him and delivered a religious discourse, he thus addressed the Bhikkhus:

4. ‘I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that he who confers the upasampada ordination (on a Bhikkhu), tell him the four Resources :

‘The religious life has morsels of food given in alms for its resource. Thus you must endeavour to live all your life. Meals given to the Samgha, to certain persons, invitations, food distributed by ticket, meals given each fortnight, each uposatha day (i.e. the last day of each fortnight), or the first day of each fortnight, are extra allowances.

‘The religious life has the robe made of rags taken from a dust heap for its resource. Thus you must endeavour to live all your life. Linen, cotton, silk, woollen garments, coarse cloth, hempen cloth are extra allowances.

‘The religious life has dwelling at the foot of a tree for its resource. Thus you must endeavour to live all your life. Vihdras, addkayogas, storied dwellings, attics, caves! are extra allowances.

1 These are the five kinds of dwellings (pafiâa lenani) which are declared to be allowable, Xullavagga VI,1, 2. The single expres-

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‘The religious life has decomposing urine as medicine? for its resource. Thus you must endeavour to live all your life. Ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses are extra allowances.’

Here ends the fifth Bhazavara, which contains the duties towards upaggayas.

31.

1. At that time a certain youth came to the Bhikkhus and asked them to be ordained. The Bhikkhus told him the (four) Resources before his ordination. Then he said: ‘If you had told me the Resources, venerable Sirs, after my ordination, I should have persisted (in the religious life); but now, venerable Sirs, I will not be ordained; the Resources are repulsive and loathsome to me.’

The Bhikkhus told this thing to the Blessed One.

‘You ought not, O Bhikkhus, to tell the Resources (to the candidates) before their ordination. He who does, is guilty of a dukkaZ¢a offence. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that you tell the Resources (to the newly-ordained Bhikkhus) immediately after their upasampada’

‘You ought not, O Bhikkhus, to tell the Resources (to the candidates) before their ordination. He who does, is guilty of a dukkaZ¢a offence. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that you tell the Resources (to the newly-ordained Bhikkhus) immediately after their upasampada’

sions are explained by Buddhaghosa in his note on Kullavagga 1.1. as follows: ‘addhayogo ’ti suvanmavahgageham, pas4do ’ti dighapasAdo, hammiyan ti upariakAsatale pati//AitakOAgaro pasado yeva, guha ’ti inhakaguha silaguha daruguha pamsuguhé,’ i.e. ‘Addhayoga is a gold-coloured Bengal house. PAs4da is a long storied mansion (or, the whole of an upper storey). Hammiya is a Pasada, which has an upper chamber placed on the topmost storey. Guha is a hut made of bricks, or in a rock, or of wood.’ * Compare Mahavagga VI, 14, 6.

I, 31, 4. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS, 175

2. At that time some Bhikkhus performed the upasampada service with a chapter of two or three Bhikkhus.

They told this thing to the Blessed One.

‘Let no one, O Bhikkhus, receive the upasampad4_ordination before a chapter of less than ten Bhikkhus. He who performs the upasampadé service (with a smaller number of Bhikkhus), is guilty of a dukka¢a offence. I prescribe you, O Bhikkhus, the holding of upasampada services with a chapter of ten Bhikkhus or more than ten,’

3. At that time some Bhikkhus conferred the upasampada ordination on their saddhiviharikas one or two years after their own upasampad&. 1}Thus also the venerable Upasena Vangantaputta conferred the upasampada ordination on a saddhivihdarika of his one year after his own upasampada. When he had concluded the vassa residence, after two years from his own upasampada had elapsed, he went with his saddhiviharika, who had completed the first year after his upasampada, to the place where the Blessed One was ; having approached him and respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down near him.

4- Now it is the custom of the blessed Buddhas to exchange greeting with incoming Bhikkhus. And the Blessed One said to the venerable Upasena Vangantaputta: ‘Do things go well with you, Bhikkhu? Do you get enough to support your life? Have you made your journey with not too great fatigue ?’

‘Things go pretty well with us, Lord; we get

} This story recurs in the Gataka Commentary II, 449.

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enough, Lord, to support our life, and we have made our journey, Lord, with not too great fatigue.’

The Tathdgatas sometimes ask about what they know; sometimes they do not ask about what they know. They understand the right time when to ask, and they understand the right time when not to ask. The Tath4gatas put questions full of sense, not void of sense ; to what is void of sense the bridge is pulled down for the Tathagatas. For two purposes the blessed Buddhas put questions to the Bhikkhus, when they intend to preach the doctrine or when they intend to institute a rule of conduct to their disciples.