Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c25.34

c25.34

[*Majjhima-Nikāya*, ii, 5, quoted by Mrs. Rhys Davids in her *Buddhism*, p. 203]. We have already seen how the rules of the Order were not noted for any excesses of ascetic praxis: under them "the body is to be decently draped, cleansed and massaged, regularly fed, sheltered in the rainy season, rested during the noonday heat, and medically treated when ailing" by the best physician of the country [Mrs. Rhys Davids, op. cit., p. 203]. It was no wonder that the Order which ensured such healthful physical existence should attract many undesirables. The Vinaya texts are full of interesting stories on the subject, some of which have been already referred to. When a rebellion has to be suppressed in his border provinces, the emperor Bimbisāra finds that his generals have deserted to the Order. His Officers of Justice consider that the Upādhāya of the deserters should be beheaded, the monk proposing their ordination should have his tongue torn out, and the Chapter should have half of their ribs broken [*Mahāv.*, i, 40]. The king's decree that monks should not be harmed invites robbers to seek that protection [ib., i, 41–5]. Even parents find it difficult to maintain discipline among their sons lest they fly to the Order [ib., i, 48]. The parents of Upāli, one among seventeen youths of Rājāgriha, anxious for his life of ease after their death, decide upon his monkhood as the best occupation for that purpose in preference to all other usual occupations of the times such as Writing (*Lekha*) (at which "his fingers will become sore"), Accountancy or Arithmetic (*Gaṇanā*) (at which "his breast will become diseased by too much thinking"), or Drawing (*Rūpaṁ*) (at which "his eyes will suffer") [ib., i, 49].