Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c12.s3.5

v1.c12.s3.5

The first king met by Buddha after his enlightenment was Bimbisāra who accorded him a very warm welcome, placed at Buddha's disposal his pleasure-garden and asked the headmen of the villages in his domain to listen to Buddha's discourses. It was most probably for Bimbisāra that Buddha gained a very wide popularity in Magadha.¹ The king was bent so much upon the welfare of the *sangha* that he issued the decree that none must do any harm to the Sākyaputtiya Samaṇas² and on many occasions he advised Buddha to frame rules for the welfare of the *sangha*. Some of these rules are, for example, not to give ordination to those who were in royal service, as the kings who were not in favour of the faith might harass the *sangha* on that ground;³ to hold religious assemblies on the 8th, 14th and 15th day of each month like the other religious orders for the benefit of the *upāsakas*.⁴