Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c31.54

c31.54

**Monks helped to spiritual life.** It was the duty of the monasteries to supply their inmates with all their necessaries of life as prescribed by the Vinaya, so that "one can be much freer, if one lives in the monastery engaged simply in meditation and worship, without needing to take thought about procuring clothes and food" (p. 194). This is the reason why monasteries were permitted to own large properties, while individual monks were denied that right.