Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c21.26

c21.26

While the orders of *Brahmans* depended on birth and were recruited exclusively from one caste, those of Samaṇas laboured under no such restrictions and were thrown open to all, high born or low born, who would adopt the ascetic life, renouncing worldly careers. These orders were further characterized by different degrees of independence of Vedic orthodoxy achieved by their founders and leaders, and, under the absolute freedom of thought and protection of the liberty of conscience that have always prevailed in India, sects were being added to sects according to the different paths of deliverance by which the masters discovering them led their followers in quest of salvation. These numerous ascetic and philosophizing circles were always wandering through the country in search of opportunities to fight out their differences in public disputations before their adherents, opponents, and the general people in the manner of the Greek sophistic. The country also liberally provided for such opportunities as quickening the intellectual life of the people. We read, for instance, of ‘The Hall’ specially erected in Queen Mallikā’s park for the purposes of such discussions of the different systems of opinion prevailing in the country and of the wandering teacher Poṭṭhapāda initiating there a discussion with his large following of 300 mendicants. “The very fact of the erection of such a place is another proof of the freedom of thought prevalent in the eastern valley of the Ganges in the sixth century B.C. Buddhaghosa tells us that after ‘The Hall’ had been established, others near it had been built in honour of various famous teachers; but the group of buildings continued to be known as ‘The Hall’.