Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c27.6

c27.6

A few other minor points brought to light in this story may be noted. We find the somewhat unusual practice of a teacher accepting a pupil on receipt of fees, a practice which is contrary to the rules of the Smṛitis of the earlier age, as explained above. Next, we notice that with the growth of Buddhist Philosophy and Learning, Brahman scholars, after completing the study of their traditional Vedic learning, would seek to add to their intellectual equipment by a study of Buddhist Literature. The two cultures were thus co-existing without any hostility between them. Thirdly, we have a confirmation of the somewhat scanty evidence of the Vinaya that Buddhist learning had its centres not merely and exclusively in the monasteries, as is commonly supposed, but also in the forests, in the hermitages of solitary and spiritually advanced monks after the Brahmanical model. Fourthly, that Buddhist Learning was not confined to a mere class, the monks, but spread through all the ranks of the people is proved by the instance of a rich merchant of Pāṭaliputta (with 500 waggons travelling) introducing himself as a student of the Abhidhamma and anxious to hear some passages from it [i, 33].