Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c12.s3.40

v1.c12.s3.40

Conversion by the evangelical method marks out Buddhism as making a radical departure from the traditional lines on which the Indian religions brought new adherents into their fold. The ways in which Brāhmanism extended the boundaries of its domain are peculiar to itself. Its method of enlisting new recruits are in consonance with the caste-system, its spirit of exclusiveness specially in religious matters and its power of slowly adapting itself to the change effected by forces from within or without. The process followed by it consisted in absorbing the new recruits into the brāhmanic society by attracting them slowly and imperceptibly to adopt more or less the social customs and practices approved by the Brāhmaṇas and thus occupy a place within an existing caste or sub-caste, or form a new sub-caste, as the case may be. The alteration of the religious views is left to follow the social absorption that gradually sets in. The radical departure made by the Buddhists from the traditional method was responsible for the rapid way in which Buddhism spread not only in India but also in the countries outside. The very first resolution made by Buddha after the attainment of the *summum bonum* was to become a religious preacher and save mankind from worldly cares and miseries. He went to Sarnath to convert the five Brāhmaṇas, after whom he made many more converts. He formed them into a band of missionaries, of whom he was the leader. In the *Vinaya* we find Buddha speaking thus to his followers who then numbered only sixtyone: "Go, ye now, O Bhikkhus, and wander, for the gain of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion for the world. Let not two of you go the same way. Preach the doctrine which is glorious in the beginning, middle, and end, in the spirit and in the letter; proclaim a consummate, perfect, and pure life of holiness. There are beings whose mental eyes are covered by scarcely any dust, but if the doctrine is not preached to them, they cannot attain salvation. They will understand the doctrine. And I will go also, O Bhikkhus, to Uruvela-senā-nigama in order to preach the doctrine."¹ Buddha passed from one country to another preaching the *dhamma* which is heard by the house-holders who being convinced of its excellence retired from the world leaving their possessions great or small.² This example was followed ardently by his disciples: Sāriputta was considered the fittest person after him to roll the wheel of law;³ Moggalliputta, to preach the religion to the denizens of hell, gods and spirits of heaven; Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta, to carry on the work among the rough people of Sunāparantaka;⁴ Piṇḍola-Bharadvāja, the chief of the *sīhanādikānam*, to remove doubts regarding the Buddhistic path or fruit.⁵ This shows how the disciples fulfilled their Master's desire. The Master was satisfied with their activities as indicated by his departure from the mortal world, which, as said by him to Māra, was conditional on 'his seeing that his disciples had been sufficiently large in number and able to refute the doctrines of their adversaries, and that his religion was well and widely preached.¹