Sangha by Bhikkhu Bodhi

8/3/2019 Sangha by Bhikkhu Bodhi

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PowerPoint presentation on Bhikkhu Bodhis

recorded lectures on Buddhas Teaching As It Is.

Materials for the presentation are taken from the

recorded lectures (MP3) posted at the website of

Bodhi Monastery and the notes of the lectures

posted at beyondthenet.net

Originally prepared to accompany the playing ofBhikkhu Bodhis recorded lectures on Buddhas Teaching

As It is in the Dharma Study Class at PUTOSI Temple,

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

This series of weekly study begins in November, 2010.

Buddhas Teaching As It Is

Bhikkhu Bodhi

Lectur

e

10:

Sangha


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SANGHA

Lecture 10

Bhikkhu Bodhi

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato

Sammasambuddhassa


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Sangha

The Buddhas dispensation is founded upon three guidingideals, they are the objects of veneration: the Buddha,the Dhamma and the Sangha. The Buddha is the Teacher;the Dhamma is the Teaching; and the Sangha is thecommunity of those who have realized the teaching and

embody it in their lives. These three are together calledthe Three Jewels or Triple Gem. They are called theThree Jewels because for one who is seeking the way toliberation, they are the most precious things in the World.

The word Sangha means those who are joined together,thus a community. However, "Sangha" does not refer tothe entire Buddhist community. It does not mean thetotality of Buddhists or of those committed to theBuddhist Path.


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SanghaThe word, Sangha signifies a smaller community within

the larger Buddhist society. It refers in particular to the

two such communities making for two kinds of sangha:

1. The Noble Sangha (Ariya Sangha) - the community of

the noble ones or of Buddhas true disciples.

2. The conventional Sangha - the order of fully ordained

monks and nuns.

In principle, the conventional Sangha includes bhikkhunis -

that is, fully ordained nuns - but in Theravada countries

the full ordination lineage for women has become

defunct, though there continue to exist independent

orders of nuns.


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Ariyan Sangha

The Ariyan Sangha is the community of noble persons, allthose who have reached the supramundane paths and

fruits. This Sangha consists of eight types of individuals

joined together into four pairs. The four pairs are:-

1. The person on the path of stream entry and the streamenterer

2. The person on the path of once returner and the once

returner.

3. The person on the path of non-returner and the non-returner.

4. The person on the path of arahatship and the arahant.


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Ariyan Sangha

What unites all these persons and makes them a communityis that they all share a penetration through directexperience of the innermost essence of the Dhamma. Allthese persons have followed the Buddhas path to the

height of wisdom and seen for themselves the ultimate

truth, the truth of the unconditioned. The experience thatmakes a person an ariyan disciple is called the arising ofthe eye of Dhamma. We all have physical eyes by whichwe can see form. We also have mental eyes throughwhich we can understand ideas intellectually, but whatthe Ariyan person has that an ordinary person lacks isthe dhammachakkhu, the eye of truth, the penetratingvision that sees into the real nature of things, the visionthat sees the unconditioned element, Nibbana.


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Ariyan Sangha

By arousing the eye of Dhamma, the noble person has cutoff the first three fetters, fetters of personality view,

doubt and clinging to rites and rituals. Such a person

(now an ariyan disciple) gains absolute confidence in the

Triple Gem, in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and theSangha. He can never go for refuge to any other

teacher other than the Buddha, or take as his guiding

principle any teaching other than the Dhamma. He has

been spiritually reborn, born with a noble birth.


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Ariyan Sangha

It is the profound experience of the Dhamma that makes aperson a member of the Ariyan Sangha, a true discipleof Buddha.

The status of an Ariyan Sangha is not established by anyformal act of ordination. Any person - monk or nun,layman or laywoman - who penetrates the Dhamma, whoarouses the eye of the Dhamma, immediately becomesan Ariyan disciple of the Buddha. Lay persons living athome can also reach all four levels of liberation. But the

lay people who have become Arhants are very few andwhen they do so, according to natural law theyimmediately renounce the household life and enter themonastic order.


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Ariyan Sangha

Those who become ariyans have entered the definite pathto final liberation. They have stepped beyond the ranks

of the multitude caught up in craving and ignorance

revolving in birth and death. They can never fall back to

the level of a worldling because they have realized thetruth by direct experience. They are now bound to reach

full enlightenment and final liberation.


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Ariyan Sangha

The highest of the noble disciples is the arhant. He is theone who never comes back to any form of existence high

or low. He has reached enlightenment right in his body,

he has cut off all craving and extinguished all

defilements. He lives out his days in the bliss of liberationuntil the break up of the body. With the break up of the

body, he attains the final goal, the Nibbana element

without residue.

The Ariyan sangha is the jewel of the sangha. It is thissangha that functions as one of the three refuges.


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Ariyan Sangha

When Buddhists recite "Sangham saranam gachchmi" (Igo for refuge to the Sangha), they are referring to the

Ariyan Sangha. The Ariyan Sangha is absolutely

essential to the Buddhas dispensation, for the ariyan

disciples stand as living proof of the truth of theBuddhas teaching. The Ariyans are the ones who have

put the teaching to the test, who have practised the path

and verified the Dhamma in their own experience. They

are the ones who have accomplished the aim of the

Dhamma. The Buddhas teaching aims at transforming

ordinary people from worldlings into noble people, at

bringing them to the stages of liberation.


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Ariyan Sangha

They are the guides and models. They encourage us tofollow the path, since they began as ordinary people like

ourselves, but by practising the path they have risen up

above the ordinary plane and reached the state of

spiritual nobility. Through their own attainments they cangive effective instructions to others, instructions that are

not based on mere guesswork or book learning but on

personal experience.


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Conventional Sangha

The monastic order is called the conventional Sanghabecause admission to the order depends entirely on the

convention of ordination, which can be given to any

properly qualified candidate. It does not require any

special spiritual attainment, but simply a person whowishes to enter the order and is free from any of the

conditions that obstruct ordination.

The monastic order is not a jewel or a refuge in the highest

sense. It is still a jewel in the secondary sense.


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Monastic Order

The bhikkhus who take ordination into the order are thosewho have followed the Buddha into the state of

homelessness. They take on the Buddhas mode of

practice; they wear his robe; they live according to his

rules. The Buddha laid down the brahmacariya, the holylife as the way to deliverance. The monastic state

provides the optimal conditions possible in this world for

living the holy life intended by the Buddha.

Ariyans do not arise only from the monastic sangha. Thosepersons who have become monks and nuns have the best

opportunities for practicing to reach the ariyan states.


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Monastic OrderThe second reason that the monastic order is revered so highly

as mentioned before is that the members have the functionto transmit the Buddhas dispensation.

They keep alive the way of life and practice established bythe Buddha. They show to others its possible to live a life

of purity, of renunciation, of restraint, meditation andrealisation.

By training disciples, they ensure that the Buddhas

dispensation is passed on from one generation to anotherso that it doesnt disappear from this world.

By studying the scriptures and teaching them, they preservethe teachings of the Buddha, spread and propagated forthe welfare of others.

For these reasons, the monastic order stands as a field of

merit, worthy of respect, offerings and support.


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Formation and Growth of the Sangha

The formation of the Sangha took place soon after theBuddha finished his first discourse, to the five ascetics.

When the Buddha finished explaining the Four Noble Truths

and the Noble Eightfold Path, Kondanna attained the stage

of stream entry and requested to be a disciple of Buddha.The Buddha ordained him, Come bhikkhu, the Dhamma is well

proclaimed. Live the holy life for the complete ending of

sufferings. With these words, Kondanna became the first

bhikkhu, a monk disciple of Buddha.

In formal term, a sangha is a community of a minimum of four

monks.


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Formation and Growth of the Sangha

Then the Buddha continued his discourse, and the other fourascetics gained stream entry after his talk. They also

asked to become bhikkhus under the Buddha. They were

ordained bhkkhus with the same words. They were

ordained with the same words. The Sangha was formedfor the first time, a community of five monks headed by

the Buddha.

Shortly after that, the Buddha then taught them the Truth of

Anatta (egolessness). At the end of this discourse, the five

monks achieved enlightenment, destroyed all defilements

and became arahats, fully liberated in mind.


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Renunciation and Deliverance

The key move that characterizes the act of becoming amonk is renunciation. The initial act is pabbajja, going

forth from the household life into homelessness.

While the Buddhas teaching is applicable to those living

the household life, anyone who has correctly grasped thedrift of the Buddha Dhamma will see that the path of

renunciation follows from it with complete naturalness.

The Buddha teaches that life in the world is inseparably

connected with dukkha, with suffering andunsatisfactoriness, leading us again and again into the

round of birth and death.


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The reason we remain bound to the wheel of becoming isbecause of our attachment to it. We hang on to it through

our craving for desire, for power, for continued existence.

To gain release from the round, we have to extinguish our

craving. That is the highest renunciation, the ultimate inneract of renunciation. But to win that attainment we

generally must begin with relatively easy acts of

renunciation, and as these gather force they eventually

lead us to a point where we no longer are attracted to the

lures of secular life. When this happens, we become ready

to leave behind the household life, to enter upon homeless

state in order to devote ourselves fully to the task of

removing the inner subtle clinging of the mind.


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The homeless life is not absolutely essential for this work.True renunciation is an inner act, not a mere outer one.

But the homeless life provides the most suitable outer

conditions for practising true renunciation.

The holy life requires purified conduct, but household lifestimulates many desires that run contrary to pure

conduct. The homeless life is a life of meditation, calling

for constant mindfulness, clear awareness and

contemplation. All this requires time, a calmenvironment, freedom from external pressures and

responsibility. The Buddha founded the Sangha in order

to provide such objective conditions.


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Bhikkhu

The bhikkhu, the Buddhist monk, is not a priest; he does notfunction as an intermediary between the laity and any

divine power, not even between the lay person and the

Buddha. He does not administer sacraments, pronounce

absolution or perform any ritual needed for salvation.The main task of a bhikkhu is to cultivate himself along

the path laid down by the Buddha, the path of moral

discipline, concentration, and wisdom.


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Bhikkhu

Entrance into the Sangha is not binding for life time. Onewho becomes a Buddhist monk does not take life-longvows. In some Buddhist traditions in countries like SriLanka, its expected that those who take higher

ordination remain in the robe for life.

If a person finds himself unsuitable for monastic life he isfree at any time to leave the order and return to lay lifewithout any kind of religious blame attached to him,without incurring any kind of obstruction to his spiritualprogress.

In some countries like Burma and Thailand, its customary

for all males at sometime in their life to take ordinationfor short periods.


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Distinctive Marks of the Bhikkhu

The distinctive marks of the bhikkhu in all the Buddhistcountries in most Buddhist traditions are the shaven head

and the saffron robes. The reason the bhikkhu adopts this

appearance is rooted in the very nature of his calling.

The Buddhist monk seeks to realize the truth of anatta, of

selflessness. This means the relinquishing of ones claims to

stand out as a special individual, to be a "somebody".

The aim of the bhikkhu is to eliminate the sense of ego,

of self identification. Our clothes, hairstyle, and beard

often become subtle ways by which we assert our senseof identity or express our self image. Bhikkhus give up

their personal identity and blend into a larger body the

Sangha.


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Distinctive Marks of the BhikkhuThe robe and the shaven head is also the reminder and

theme for their daily reflection. "My way of life isdifferent from that of worldly people". Unlike thecommon people, he leads a life of restraints, self-control,and inner cultivation. The robe also serves to make others

aware of the Buddhas teaching. His conduct has the effectof impressing on others the fruits of the Buddhas teaching.

Another special aspect of the lifestyle of the Buddhist monk isthat he lives in dependence on the offerings of others. Hedoes not work for his living, he does not receive payment

for his religious services, but he lives entirely independence on the support of the laity. Those who haveconfidence in the Dhamma provide him with the basicrequisites, his robes, food, dwelling place, medicines, andwhatever other simple material support he might need.


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Relationship Between Sangha and Lay People

The monks and nuns do not ask society for support. The codeof monastic disciplines prohibit the monks and nuns fromasking lay people for material goods except in the case ofclose relatives.

The monks and nuns who live in accordance with the Dhamma

are a blessing for the lay people who provide them withthe requisites. The benefits they provide can be found atseveral levels:

1. First, by receiving the support, they are able to becometeachers of the Dhamma. Because they are freed from thenecessities of providing for themselves economically, theycan study the teaching, learn it thoroughly, and teach it toothers. They guide and teach others the principles that leadto their spiritual welfare.


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2. At a deeper level, the monks and nuns who receive thesupport maintain the traditions of Buddhist practice,

especially the higher practices of meditation. They serve

as an example for others; as models of those who are

pursuing the highest spiritual ideals. They show that theDhamma is just not a set of abstract theories, but a real

path that can be practised; and they inspire others to

undertake the practice and lead them to liberation.

3. A third benefit the sangha provides is to serve as a field

of merits for others. The Buddha teaches that giving,

dana, is a source of merit. The merit that comes from

giving is proportional to the purity of the recipient.


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When the receivers are persons striving for enlightenmentand liberation, the highest goals, they become the mostfruitful field of merit. By making gifts to the sangha ofthe requisites, robes, food, etc, the lay people gain meritthat will sustain them in their own quest for liberation,

which will bring them benefits in this and future lives.Perhaps the primary symbolic expression of the close

relationship between the lay people and the sangha isthe alms round. The monks acquire their food by walkingwith eyes downcast, silently and mindfully; from house tohouse without discrimination, giving everyone the sameopportunity to make merit, gathering the offerings intheir alms bowls.


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The monk does not ask for anything. He is not a beggar.The bhikkhu shares the offerings with everyone in the

monastery.

The practice of going for alms round is a source of joy for

everyone, the bhikkhu receives his material support; thelay people gain the chance to practice generosity and

acquire merit.


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SANGHA PART II


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Ordination and Precepts

There are two basic levels of monastic status in the sangha,the rank of the samanera and the rank of the bhikkhu.The samanera is a novice monk and a bhikkhu is a fullyordained monk. Samanera means a little samana

(sramana) or monk. A samanera is one who has left the

household life and entered the monastic fold, but he hasnot yet been fully admitted to the sangha. He is stillpreparing for full ordination as a bhikkhu. He might haveto undergo a training for a period of several months oryears, but sometimes mature men are given the novice

ordination and full monk ordination on the same day.

The ceremony of becoming a samanera is called pabbajja,the going forth from lay life to homeless life.


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Ordination and Precepts - Samanera

To become a samanera, the candidate must be at least 7years old; physically fit; provided with robes; and

accepted by a senior bhikkhu as a pupil. At the

ceremony of ordination, the candidate approaches his

preceptor with the head shaved and carrying his robes inhis hand, he then requests his preceptor to be given the

pabbajja. The preceptor would then give him an

explanation of what is involved. The preceptor takes the

robes and gives them back and this marks the

acceptance of the candidate as a samanera. The newnovice then goes off to the side, takes off his lay clothes

and puts on the robes.


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He returns to the teacher and requests the teacher to givehim the three refuges and the ten precepts of asamanera. The teacher will then recite the formula forthe three refuges and the ten precepts, the samanerarepeating them after the preceptor. From then on, the

samanera must observe the ten basic precepts of themonastic life. These are:

1. To abstain from killing or taking life.

2. To abstain from taking what is not given or stealing.

3. To abstain from incelibacy, to lead a life of strictchastity.

4. To abstain from lying.

5. to abstain using from using intoxicants (drinks & drugs).


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6. To abstain from eating (taking solid food) at the wrongtime (from midday to next dawn).

7. To abstain from singing, dancing, musical instruments

and unsuitable shows.

8. To abstain from using ornaments, scents, garlands andperfumes that beautify a person.

9. To abstain from using high or luxurious seat and bed.

10. To abstain from accepting gold or silver or money.

During the period of training, the young novice monk must

study the Dhamma, learn the aspect of monastic

discipline and prepare himself for future full ordination.


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Ordination and Precepts - Bhikkhu

The ceremony of full ordination as a bhikkhu is called

upasampada. To be eligible for upasampada, the

candidate must have been a samanera for sometime;

twenty years old; free from impediments such as incurable

diseases (leprosy, tuberculosis and epilepsy); a free man,

not in debt, not in debt, exempt from military service; havepermission from the parents. He must have a complete set

of robes and an alms bowl when he comes for the

ceremony, these are usually provided by a lay supporter.

The ceremony of upasampada requires a sangha of at leastfive bhkkhus, usually more are present. The sangha is

headed by a bhikkhu of at least 10 years standing in the

order, who has a good knowledge of Dhamma and

Vinaya or code of moral discipline. This senior monk


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will serve as the preceptor for the new bhikkhu.The ceremony begins with a monk chanting the motion that

such and such a candidate requests upasampada with

such and such a senior monk as his preceptor. Three

announcements of this fact are made. If none of thebhkkhus present object, then when the third

announcement is finished, the candidate is accepted as a

bhikkhu.

After the actual ordination, the preceptor explains to thenew bhikkhu the four things that are absolutely

prohibited (parajika) for a newly ordained monk:

1. Engaging in sexual intercourse of any kind.


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2. Taking anything of value that is not given.3. Killing another human being.

4. Falsely claiming to have reached some higher spiritual

attainment.

If a bhikkhu commits any of the above forbidden acts, heis immediately expelled from the sangha; and he can

never be ordained again in this life time.

The preceptor then explains the four supports of the

homeless life. These are:

1. To live on food collected on alms round.

2. To use robes made from cast-off rags.


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3. To live beneath a tree.4. use cows urine as medicine.

These four observances are not compulsory. Monks are

allowed to accept food offered by lay people at home

or brought to the monastery. Monks can wear robesalready prepared by householders. They can live in

buildings like temples or monasteries or cottages. They

can use any kind of proper medicine. Nowadays only

the first support is commonly followed. However theformula is still recited as a formality to emphasise the

spirit of poverty, simplicity and purity that are essential

to a monks life.


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The bhikkhu is allowed to own eight articles. These include: three robes: antaravasika or under-robe worn around

the waist; upper robe or utarasangha worn over theshoulder covering the upper part of the body; doublethick outer robe, sanghati, usually worn only in cool

weather.

Belt; alms bowl; razor and needle; and water strainer.

In actual practice, bhikkhus usually own a few other extranecessities, varying in quantities according to their life

styles. Teaching bhikkhus in towns would need extrarobes, books, note paper, pens, etc. Bhikkhus living inthe forest would need little extra beyond theirrequisites, fan, sandals, clock, umbrella etc.


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A monk has to obtain his requisites in a pure way. Hedoesnt work at a profession. He is forbidden to beg,

coerce or persuade others to give them. He receives the

requisites through the generosity and kindness of the

laity.In using the four principle requisites, the robes, the alms

food, the shelter, and medicine, he has to reflect on their

proper purposes.

When he puts on his robes, he has to reflect that he uses therobes for the purposes of keeping off the cold, the heat,

the sun, wind and creeping things and for covering up the

body.


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He reflects that he uses the alms food in order to supporthis life, to keep himself in good health, to preventdisease and to live the life of holiness.

He reflects that he uses the shelter to keep out the heat,cold, mosquitoes, gnats, and to protect himself from the

weather.

He reflects that he uses the medicines for the purpose ofkeeping off disease, for the maximum of health andwellbeing.

Life in the sangha is regulated by a body of rules calledthe Vinaya. The word, Vinaya means leading away,

the code of rules that lead us away from wrong deedsof body and speech.


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Vinaya

Vinaya is contained in the Vinaya Pitaka, the Books ofDiscipline. These books set forth the precepts of monastic

life. Some of these precepts are moral in nature and

concerned with the fundamentals of spiritual development.

Others are principles of etiquette, which help to establishharmony among the monks themselves, and between the

sangha and laity as a whole.

The heart of the vinaya is the code of 227 rules called the

patimokkha. These are the backbone of monastic discipline.

The rules of the patimokkha are classified into several

categories of different degrees of moral weight. The most

important are the four parajika, four prohibited acts -


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Vinaya

sexual intercourse, theft, killing another human being, andfalse claim of spiritual attainment. Violation of any of

these four leads to defeat, expulsion from the order.

Thirteen other rules of lesser degree of gravity if violated

lead to a period of penance with temporary suspensionof monastic privileges.

The remaining rules vary in importance and in the

consequences that are entailed when violated. For good

monks, it is important that they try to keep all the rules asscrupulously as they can.

All the rules might not seem to be extremely serious, but the

problem is once a person starts breaking minor rules, its


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Vinaya: Patimokkha

often a matter of time until he starts breaking majorrules. Therefore the guiding principle for a monk who is

serious in following the Buddhas path is to try to

maintain and protect all the rules to the best of his

ability. The foundation of higher stages of spiritualtraining is moral discipline. For a bhikkhu, the backbone

of his moral discipline is the patimokkha.

The patimokkha is recited by the sangha together at a

ceremony called uposatha which is held on the day of

the full moon and the new moon of each lunar month. Its

held in a monastery whenever there are four monks or

more living together.


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Uposatha; Vassa

Before the uposatha ceremony takes place, the bhikkhusneed to confess their transgressions to one another. Thenthey all sit together, one senior bhikkhu will recite thepatimokkha while the rest will listen. While it is recited, ifa monk remembers a transgression he has committed,

then he will confess the transgression before the group asa whole.

Another special occasion of the monastic life is the vassa.Vassa is a period of three months coinciding with therainy season of India, from the full moon day of July tothe full moon day of October. During vassa, the monkstake up residence in a single dwelling without travellingoutside except in emergencies or special cases when theirpresence is required somewhere.


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Vassa

The rule requiring the bhikkhu to observe the vassa wasmade by the Buddha because of the conditions in Indiaduring the time of the rain. When the rain fell, the earthwould teem with vegetation and insect life would becomeabundant. If the monks travelled a lot, they would

trample on the crops, ruined the peoples field anddestroy insect life. To prevent this, the Buddha made therule for the monks to stay in a fixed abode for a periodof three months. During this time the lay people wouldprovide them with their requisites and take care of the

monks with great felicity. Even now in places where thereis no rain during this period, its traditional for the monks

to observe the retreat of vassa.


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VassaDuring this period the bhikkhus would devote themselves to

study, or meditate or write to perfect their own skills.

At the close of the vassa, the bhikkhus would assemble andhold a ceremony called pavarana. At the pavarana

ceremony, each monk invites the other monks in the

community to point out any wrong he might havecommitted and to ask for their patience and forgivenessfor any wrongs he might have committed. When thepavarana is finished, the vassa is completed.

Usually within a month after the end of the vassa, a major

ceremony called kathina takes place, bringing togetherthe laity and the sangha, symbolising the unity of theBuddhas followers.


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VinayaAt the kathina ceremony, the laity offer new robes to the

monks who have observed the vassa retreat. They also

bring other goods needed by the temple of monastery.

All the monks, irrespective of their age and standing, are

guided by the same training in moral discipline

concentration and wisdom. All share the same

disciplinary code, the patimokkha, and the rest of the

vinaya.

Beyond these, the members of the order divide into two

basic types, the career of books (study of scripture) andthe career of practice (meditation). These two are not

absolutely exclusive. Ideally there should be a synthesis

of the two.


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Careers: Pariyatti & Patipatti

Monks who study scriptures would do daily meditationwhile the monks who meditate would have someproficiency in the scriptures. Generally there is atendency towards specialisation. Some monks emphasisethe pariyatti Dhamma (study of scriptures); others

emphasise patipatti Dhamma (practice meditation).Monks following the two careers usually live in differentregions. Monks who follow the career of study usuallylive in the cities, towns or villages, while the following theway of strict practice usually live in more remote areas in

the forests. This division is not so sharp. Sometimes in citymonasteries, there are monks who are devoted fully tomeditation. In some forest monasteries, there are alsomonks who are specialists in scriptures


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Pariyatti

The main task of the monks following the career of books isto study, teach and expound the scriptures of Buddhism.In the Theravada tradition, the main scriptural authority isthe Tripitaka, the three baskets of doctrine, set down inthe ancient Pali language. These are the Sutta Pitaka

(discourses of the Buddha and the great disciples),Vinaya Pitaka (the Books of Monastic Disciplines), andthe Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical and psychologicaltreatises). To learn means to memorise. Memorisation isstill emphasised today. Monks would memorise the

scripture and study the commentaries to learn themeaning thoroughly. When they have gained someproficiency, they would teach others, give sermons andlectures, and train younger monks in the scriptures.


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Town Bhikkhus

Those studying bhkkhus who live in the vicinity of cities,towns or villages participate in various religious rites in

domestic life of the laity. They interact with the laity in all

occasions in daily life from birth to death. Their main

involvement are in meal invitation and chanting of sutta

and preaching. Dana is a great source of merits for the

lay people. Dana would be offered to the monks by a

family or group of lay people. After the meal, the monk

would give a sermon followed by chanting of

benediction.

Special chanting sessions are also held from time to time. A

group of monks would be invited to chant special

protective discourses, the paritta.


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Town Bhikkhus

At periodic intervals, monks would deliver lengthy sermons.These can be attended by large numbers of lay people

who make these occasions of preachings their main

opportunities for learning the Dhamma.

On special occasions in Uposatha day, devoted lay peoplewould go to the temple and stay the whole day and

night. On these occasions, they would take the eight

precepts living like novice monks and nuns. They devote

their time to meditation, reciting texts and to asking

monks questions, quiet study and listening to several

lengthy discourses which might be delivered during the

uposatha period.


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Forest BhikkhusIn contrast to the life of the town bhikkhus, the life of the

forest bhikkhus is quiet. Their time is reserved for innerwork, for cultivating their mind for the development ofcalm and insight. In forest hermitages, the group ofmonks live together usually under the guidance of an

accomplished meditation master. They live in small hutsusually separated at some good distance from oneanother to give the seclusion needed for the practice.

The training of the forest monk follows the ancient patterncoming down from the time of Buddhasila, samadhi

and panna. He lives a life of discipline; contentment withsimplicity; applies control of the senses; mindfulness indaily actions and activities; meditation to purify the mindand develop jhana as a base to develop wisdom.


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Place of Nuns in Buddhism

In India at the time Buddhism arose, women were held in asubservient position, made to be dependent on men in allperiods of their lifedependent on the father in theirchildhood, dependent on the husband in their maturity,dependent on the sons in their old age. They were bound

down by domestic duties and burden. They receivedlittle consideration as individuals in their own right. Theircapacity for spiritual development went unrecognised.Its against this background that we should view the

Buddhas move in creating the bhikkhuni sangha, an

order of fully ordained nuns.The Buddha hesitated to permit women to enter the

homeless life. When he agreed to do so, he laid downseveral special regulations for the nuns.


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Bhikkhuni OrderThe order of nuns was established in the early years of the

Buddhas ministry. One year after his enlightenment , hereturned to his homeland of Kapilavatthu and taughtDhamma to his people, the Sakyans. A good number ofthem, men and women achieved insight and attaineddifferent levels of realisations. His foster mother,Mahapajapati Gotami became a stream-enterer and hisfather, the King became a non-returner. Several years later,he returned to Kapilavatthu to see his father who was lyingin his death bed. He taught Dhamma to his father. Hisfather attained arahatship just before dying.

After his fathers death, his mother Mahapajapati went to the

Buddha and asked him if women could be allowed to enterinto the homeless life. The Buddha did not refuse flatly.


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The Buddha discouraged her, please do not ask for womento be allowed to go forth into the homeless life. He

repeated this three times. Probably he was thinking thatthe homeless life which was difficult even for men tofollow would be much harder for the women who had

been brought up in sheltered life in the palace to follow.The Buddha left Kapilavatthu for Vesali, about 250-300

miles away. Meanwhile Mahapajapati cut off her hairand put on saffron robe. Together with a group ofSakyan women, she set out for Vesali. When she arrived

in Vesali, Venerable Ananda saw her standing there, herfeet were swollen and her limbs were covered with dust,looking very unhappy with tears on her face. VenerableAnanda asked her why she was standing there like that.


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She explained to Venerable Ananda that the Buddhawould not allow the women to go forth. Then Venerable

Ananda approached the Buddha and on behalf of the

women asked the Buddha for permission for the women

to go forth into the homeless life. He asked three times.

Three times, the Buddha did not refuse but responded,

do not ask for women to be allowed to receive the

going forth. After the third time, Venerable Ananda used

a different tactic, he asked, Venerable Sir, is it possible

for women to achieve the path and fruit? Is it possible forthem to achieve arahatship?. The Buddha said, its

possible, Ananda.


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Then Venerable Ananda said, 'If this is so, and sinceMahapajapati had been so helpful to you, when your

mother died, she became your foster mother and gave

you milk and took care of you in every way, for this

reason, it would be good if women could obtain the

going forth. Then the Buddha said he would allow the

women to go forth to become bhikkhuni if they would

agree to eight principles.

These eight principles all have the effect of making the

bhikkhuni sangha to some extent subordinate to the

bhikkhu order. They require the order of nuns to show

special respect and reverence for the bhikkhus.


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Bhikkhuni OrderThese rules were intended to reduce the contact of the nuns

and monks that may lead to corruption of the order, and

to retain the respect of the laity for the order and the

Dhamma so that the Dhamma would not disappear due

to possible loss of respect from the laity.

Once the order of bhikkhuni was formed, it attracted

women from all walks of life. Women of royal staff,

poor women ordinary housewives, courtesans, young

girls, etc left their homes to put on the yellow robes of

Buddhist nuns. Some achieved arahatship; some becameprominent members of the sangha, masters of meditation,

excelling in wisdom and concentration, in learning and

supernormal powers.


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Some of the nuns discourses are collected in the Suttapitaka. The verses of the nuns who had achieved

arahatship were collected together into a single book of

the Sutta Pitaka, the Therigatha, the Verses of the Elder

Nuns.

Like the order of the bhikkhus, the order of nuns has its own

patimokkha. These contain more than 300 rules, more

than that of the order of monks. One of the regulations

for the bhikkhuni sangha which was to have unfortunate

consequences was the requirement that a woman novice

has to receive full ordination from both orders, the order

of monks and the order of nuns.


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For several centuries, the bhikkhuni sangha continued toflourish in India. During the 3rd century B.C., King Ashoka

allowed his own daughter, Sanghamitta to become a

bhikkhuni. Together with a group of nuns, Sanghamitta

travelled to Sri Lanka with a branch of the Bodhi tree

and helped to establish the bhikkhuni sangha in Sri

Lanka. After Sanghamitta had set up the bhikkhuni

sangha, many women from all the different strata of the

Singhalese society joined the womens order which

became famous for the saintliness and piety of its nuns.The bhikkhuni order continued to thrive in Sri Lanka for

many centuries, right up to the 10th century A.D.


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During this period, it received the support of the kings, royalgovernments and laity. Due to a series of invasions fromsouth India, the bhikkhuni sangha seemed to die out in the10th century A.D. The bhikkhuni order also disappeared inIndia.

Since ordination as a bhikkhuni has to be received from anexisting bhikkhuni sangha, when the latter has died out,ordination becomes impossible and the lineage cannotcontinue.

Today, women in Theravada countries continue to be drawn tothe monastic life, living the holy life of ancient bhikkhunis;serving as teachers and meditation master; engage in socialservices. (see separate article by Bhikkhu Bodhi for morecurrent development of Theravada nuns)

Documents

Sangha by Bhikkhu Bodhi