Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c22.s8: Office-bearers for distribution of food etc.
Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c22.s8
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Office-bearers for distribution of food etc.
v1.c22.s8.1
In regard to food and the daily necessaries of life also, an attempt has been made to keep the sense of individuality in the background as far as possible. If a devotee wished to offer food to the monks, he had to invite the whole *saṅgha* and not any particular individual or individuals. In days of scarcity, provision was made for invitations by batches, and so *saṅghabhatta* (food for the whole *sangha*) was allowed to be replaced by *uddesabhatta*, *nimantana*, *salākābhatta*, etc.¹ *i.e.* the devotees might provide food not for all the monks of the *sangha* but for some, who, however, were not to be selected by the hosts. This naturally gave rise to troubles. To avoid these, it became necessary to fix the responsibility of selection upon a particular monk possessing the requisite qualities.² He was called a (i) *Bhatuddesaka* or the distributor of food. His appointment had also to be made formally by the *sangha* with the unanimous consent of all the members. Besides him there were other office-bearers whose duty was to distribute rice-gruel (*yāgu*), fruits (*phala*) and hard food (*khajjaka*) and they were called (ii) *yāgubhājaka*, (iii) *phalabhājaka* and (iv) *khajjakabhājaka* according to their respective charges.
v1.c22.s8.2
¹ *Vinaya*, II, p. 175. See above, p. 289.
v1.c22.s8.3
² *Ibid.*, p. 176.
v1.c22.s8.4
With the increase in the number of monks and devotees bestowing gifts on the *sangha*, it became indispensable to appoint further office-bearers for maintaining concord in the *sangha*. They were: (v) *senāsanagāhāpaka*, *i.e.*, the monk who was entrusted with the duty of accepting *vihāras*, *parivenas*, etc., on behalf of the *sangha*;³ (vi) *senāsanapaññāpaka* or the distributor of beds and seats within a monastery, cave-dwelling, etc., (vii) *bhaṇḍāgārika* or the store-keeper; (viii) *cīvarapaṭiggāhāpaka* or the receiver of upper robes; (ix) *cīvarabhājaka* or the distributor of upper robes; (x) *sāṭiyagāhāpaka* or the receiver of under-garment; (xi) *appamattakavissajjaka* or the distributor of trifling things, like needles, girdles and stores; (xii) *pattagāhāpaka* or the receiver of bowls.
v1.c22.s8.5
³ *Ibid.*, II, pp. 167, 176.
v1.c22.s8.6
Besides the above there were other office-bearers for different kinds of work. Some of these were (xiii) *navakammika*⁴ or the monk entrusted with the supervision of the new construction or repair of monasteries; (xiv) *ārāmikapesaka* or the overseer of labourers engaged for construction or repair work; (xv) *sāmaṇerapesaka* or the overseer of the novices; (xv) *āsanapaññāpaka*¹ or the arranger of seats at the meetings of monks, and (xvii) *sālā-kāgāhāpaka*.²
v1.c22.s8.7
⁴ *Ibid.*, p. 160.
v1.c22.s8.8
¹ *Vinaya*, II, p. 177.
v1.c22.s8.9
² See above, p. 319.
v1.c22.s8.10
In the appointment of every office-bearer, the usual formality must be observed, *i.e.* a monk possessing the requisite qualifications was selected first, then his name was announced thrice before an assembly, and if there be none dissenting, he was formally appointed to the office for which his name was proposed.
v1.c22.s8.11
Every act of the *sangha* was performed in this way. Without the formal announcement and sanction of the assembly, no ecclesiastical act could be performed or was regarded as valid. This discipline in working was strictly enforced and this was the secret of the great power which the *sangha* developed and by which it spread itself all over Asia. It was in and through an organization like this that scholars like Nāgārjuna and Asaṅga, Vasubandhu and Āryadeva, missionaries like Bodhidharma and Atīśa, disputants like Dharmakīrti and Diṅnāga, writers like Vimuktasena and Kamalaśīla, expositors like Subhūti and Kaccāyana, translators like Kumārajīva and Jinamitra radiated rays of light that dazed the whole world.
Linked texts (1)
- Cullavagga — Pāli