Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c22.46

c22.46

¹ "Of seedlings belonging to the Saṁgha grown upon private ground, half the produce, O Bhikkhus, you may have, when you have given a part to the private owner. Of seedlings belonging to a private person, grown upon ground the property of the Saṁgha, you may have the use, when you have given a part to the private owner." This probably means that the Order did not *directly* undertake the planting of trees or sowing of crops, though they supplied the seeds, and the land on which they would be sown by agriculturists or cultivators proper. The "plantations" of the Ārāmas are referred to as needing protection against goats and cattle [*Chullav.*, vi, 3, 10]. The grounds of the Ārāma were in charge of an *Ārāmika* or park-keeper who was one of the officials on the staff of the Saṁgha [ib., vi, 21, 3]. King Bimbisāra made a gift of the services of 500 park-keepers to the venerable Pilindavachchha, which gave rise to a distinct village called Ārāmikagāma [*Mahāv.*, vi, 15]. It is clear that the park-keeper was not a Bhikkhu or member of the Order. Besides keeping the grounds in order, his duty was to protect the monks from disturbance of visitors by guarding the entrance to the Ārāma [ib., x, 4, 2].