Buddha: His Life, his Doctrine, his Order c10.93

c10.93

There was nothing in the way of differences of rank in the circles of brethren, but the natural privileges and claims to respect, which belong to greater seniority—i.e. to the greater length of spiritual standing, which was reckoned from the date of ordination. In the proceedings, which had to be conducted before the Order, any “experienced and able monk” could take the initiative. The numerous office-bearers whom we find mentioned bear by no means a hierarchical character; they have to do chiefly with the care of external necessities and the discharge of domestic duties; thus there was a caretaker of the sleeping places, a caretaker of the council chambers, a rice distributor, a fruit distributor, the overseer of the novices, and other similar officers. As unanimity was necessary as a general rule in most of the resolutions of the Order, these appointments also depended as a whole on the unanimous choice of the brethren present in the diocese.