Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c38.2

v2.c38.2

The principles of early Buddhism did not make any special provision for the laity.¹ Its mission was to persuade householders to embrace the life of a recluse,² and Buddha was so successful in his mission in Magadha that people of the country raised a hue and cry over it, saying that Samaṇa Gotama was bent upon making the families sonless, women widowed and line of succession discontinued.³ Many householders retired from the worldly life because of the teaching that the life of a householder was impure and an obstruction to spiritual progress while that of a recluse was pure, open and free, and besides it was not easy for a person living a householder's life to follow the teachings propounded by the teacher and to lead the thoroughly pure life of a *brahmacārī*.⁴ Thus, it is evident that the new religion was primarily meant for those who would retire from the household life. For householders generally some rites or ceremonies are provided, or some form of worship is recommended, by the founder of a religion but there was nothing of the kind in Buddhism. On the other hand the householders were asked to eschew rites and ceremonies (*sīlabbata*)¹ and this was made one of the primary conditions for becoming a devotee of Buddha.