Buddha: His Life, his Doctrine, his Order c10.53

c10.53

To full membership of the Order, to be a Bhikkhu, the novice was raised by the ordination of Upasampadâ, which, differing from the lower form, consisted of a ceremony completed before the Order and by their participation. The outer forms were most simple; the old Order was wont when it undertook ceremonial operations, to express what had to be expressed, with bare business-like precision, and nothing more. We find in the ceremony of ordination nothing of the ceremonies which we are accustomed to look for in Church observances, no sound, in which we might hear ringing the depths and the poetry of the religious idea. Instead, we here meet, in truly Indian fashion, the careful concise expression of all the precautions, which the Order takes before admitting a new member into their midst. The postulant speaks before the assembled chapter of the monks, cowering reverently on the ground, raising his joined hands to his forehead, saying: “I entreat the Order, reverend sirs, for initation. May the Order, reverend sirs, raise me up to itself; may it have pity on me. And for the second—and for the third time I entreat the Order, reverend sirs, for initiation. May the Order, reverend sirs, raise me up to itself; may it have pity on me.” Now follows a formal examination of the postulant. “Hearest thou me, N. N.? Now is the time come for thee to speak truly and to speak honestly. I ask thee, how things are. What is, thou must say thereof: It is. What is not, thou must say thereof: It is not. Art thou afflicted with any of the following diseases: leprosy, goître, white leprosy, consumption, epilepsy? Art thou a human being?¹ Art thou a man? Art thou thine own master? Hast thou no debts? Art thou not in the royal service? Has thou the permission of thy father and mother? Art thou full twenty years of age? Hast thou the almsbowl and the garments? What is thy name? What is thy teacher’s name?” If the answer to all these questions be satisfactory, the motion for the conceding of initiation is put to the Order and repeated thrice: “Reverend sirs, let the Order hear me. N. N. here present desires as pupil of the venerable N. N. to receive ordination. He is free from the obstacles to ordination. He has the almsbowl and garments. N. N. entreats the Order for ordination with the said N. N. as his teacher. The Order grants N. N. ordination with the said N. N. as his teacher. Whoever of the venerable is for granting the said N. N. ordination with the said N. N. as his teacher, let him be silent. Whoever is against it, let him speak.” If, after thrice repeating this motion, no dissentient voice is heard, it is declared passed. “N. N. has from the Order received ordination with the said N. N. as his teacher. The Order is in favour of this ; therefore it is silent; thus I understand.” Next, when they have measured the shadow, *i.e.*, determined the time of day, in order to fix the *ancienneté* of the newly-ordained member, and have announced the particulars therefore, they communicate to the young member of the Order the four rules of monastic austerity in external life: The food of him, who has gone from home into homelessness, shall be the morsels which he receives by begging. His clothing shall be made out of the rags which he collects. His resting-place shall be under the trees of the forest. His medicine shall be the stinking urine of cattle. If pious laymen prepare him a meal, if they give him clothing, shelter, medicine, it is not forbidden him to take them, but he is to look upon this harsh form of mendicancy as the proper and appointed mode of life for a monk.