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such as Sudinna and others, who, being pleased with the Twin Miracle, ordained under the Venerable Sāriputta Thera, and who had previously been bats during the time of Kassapa Buddha, the fact that five hundred bhikkhus ordained under the Thera was seen. Therefore, it was said, "The Blessed One, at the time of the first enlightenment, ordained only by the 'Come, Bhikkhu' ordination." After this, for twenty-five years, He resided in the Jetavana Monastery built by Anāthapiṇḍika, for nineteen years. He resided in the Pubbārāma built by Visākhā at the expense of twenty-seven crores of wealth, for six years. Respecting the greatness of the virtues of the two families, relying on Sāvatthi, He resided for twenty-five years. In the final year, residing in Beḷuvagāma, a deadly illness arose, and there He relinquished the life-sustaining force. These are not intended here, but are mentioned only to know the Blessed One's order of years. Ordination by Taking Refuge means being ordained by the three refuges spoken, uttering the words three times, "I go to the Buddha for refuge," and so on. Ordination by Acceptance of Instruction means by this acceptance of instruction: "Therefore, Kassapa, you should train thus: 'Intense shame and fear of wrongdoing will be present towards elders, novices, and those in between.' Thus, Kassapa, you should train. Therefore, Kassapa, you should train thus: 'Whatever Dhamma I hear, associated with the wholesome, I will attend to it, making it bone, bringing it all to mind, listening to the Dhamma with an attentive ear.' Thus, Kassapa, you should train. Therefore, Kassapa, you should train thus: 'Mindfulness directed to the body, accompanied by pleasure, I will not abandon.' Thus, Kassapa, you should train." By this acceptance of instruction, the Venerable Mahā Kassapa... It is called ordination by permission of the Elder. It is called ordination by question and answer, ordination by permission of Sopāka. It is said that the Blessed One, while pacing in the Eastern Park, asked the novice Sopāka, "Is the perception of a bloated corpse, Sopāka, or the perception of form, are these things different in meaning and different in expression, or are they the same in meaning, with only the expression different?" concerning questions based on the ten impurities. He explained them. The Blessed One, giving approval, asked him, "How old are you, Sopāka?" "I am seven years old, Blessed One." "Sopāka, you have explained the questions in accordance with my all-knowing wisdom," and with his mind aroused, he granted ordination. This is ordination by question and answer. It is called ordination by the eight-word formula, ordination of a nun by the assembly of nuns with a motion and three announcements, and ordination by the assembly of monks with a motion and three announcements, ordination by these two procedures. It is called ordination by a motion and three announcements, the ordination of monks at present, this is what is meant here, occurring in terms of success and failure. Why is he called ordained? Because he has attained, reached a superior state by the faultless, suitable motion and three announcements of the united Sangha, therefore he is ordained, meaning he has attained a superior state. For the state of a novice is superior to the state of a householder, and the state of an ordained monk is even superior to that. There, by the united Sangha, in the final analysis, in a deed requiring a quorum of five, as many monks as are eligible for the deed being present, those who are not eligible for consent having their consent brought, and those who are present not objecting, having attained unity in this deed. By a motion and three announcements, to be done with three announcements and one motion. And here, although the motion is mentioned first, because there is no difference in meaning or expression of the three announcements, the motion, different in meaning and expression, is the fourth of them, therefore it is called a motion and three announcements. By a deed, by a lawful deed, meaning a disciplinary deed. Faultless, the basis being known. Because it is endowed with the perfection of the three announcements, the boundary, and the assembly, it is unshakeable and unrejectable. "Worthy of the occasion" means worthy of the cause, meaning worthy of the Teacher's dispensation. It means having attained excellence through these causes. Here, in terms of success and failure, arising from the perfections, it means the ordination act is successful through the five perfections: perfection of the object, perfection of the motion, perfection of the announcement, perfection of the boundary, and perfection of the assembly. Here, perfection of the object means being fully twenty years old and now being a male. One who is less than twenty years old, one who has previously committed an offense requiring the last object, a eunuch, one in association with a thief, one who has defected to another sect, one who is an animal, one who has killed one's mother, one who has killed one's father, one who has killed an arahant, one who has violated a nun, one who has caused a schism in the Sangha, one who has drawn blood from a Buddha, one who is of dual gender, these thirteen individuals are not objects for ordination. Here, even when "less than twenty years old" is stated generally, a male individual who is fully nineteen years old from the time of leaving the mother's womb is an object for ordination; less than that is not an object for ordination. Thus, in one year, due to the occurrence of the three seasons of winter, summer, and rain, there are three seasons; here they are: "From the dark fortnight of Kattika until the full moon of Phagguna, is winter; from the dark fortnight of Phagguna until the full moon of Āsāḷha, is summer; the remaining time is the rainy season, twenty-four Uposatha days. Sixteen of these are the third and seventh fortnights; the remaining fifteen are to be known, eighteen Uposatha days." Here, from the first day of the dark fortnight of Kattika until the full moon of Phagguna, four months are called the winter season. From the first day of the dark fortnight of Phagguna until the full moon of Āsāḷha, four months are called the summer season. From the first day of the dark fortnight of Āsāḷha until the full moon of the next Kattika, four months are called the rainy season. Thus, in one year, there are three seasons. There, in one season, counting two each in the third and seventh fortnights of the fortnight, there are six. In fortnights, the fourteenth, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth each have six, making eighteen; fifteen fortnights, thus twenty-four Uposatha days in one year. Among these twenty-four Uposatha days, the fourteenth has twenty-nine days, so there are six fewer days in one year. In this way, in the nineteenth year, there are eighteen years plus six months. Adding the ten months in the womb, nineteen years less four months are complete. Kings, however, add a month after every three years, a month with a day, so there are only six months added in eighteen years. Adding that to the nineteen years less four months below, twenty years plus one month are fully complete. Thus, from the nineteenth year onward, the womb-birth is to be understood as the basis for ordination. Now, the state of being male, because there are no bhikkhunis, only male individuals exist now, is intended; for if women were to be ordained, the Dhamma would last five hundred years; but because it is prescribed, it will last another five hundred years, thus a thousand years is said to be the established state of the Dhamma attained with analytical knowledge. And women are of little wisdom, intense defilements, and base. And the Blessed One, at the first enlightenment, from the beginning, even though ordination was permitted by the acceptance of the eight weighty rules by Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, the short duration of the Dispensation was spoken of. Because of little wisdom, women do not last long in the Dispensation; because of intense defilements, they are not able to maintain restraint according to the prescribed precepts. Because they are base, even attaining the eight attainments, they do not transcend the Brahma-parisajja, thus, because there are no bhikkhunis, it is said that only male individuals exist now. Standing in this place, four fields are to be known; for because women are ordained, a thousand years. Just so, it will endure, this was said in terms of arahants who have attained the discriminations. Thereafter, for another thousand years, in terms of dry-insight arahants, for a thousand years in terms of non-returners, for a thousand years in terms of once-returners, for a thousand years in terms of stream-enterers, thus, for five thousand years, the Dhamma of realization will endure. The Dhamma of learning too, just those, for without learning, there is no realization. Nor, with learning present, is there no realization. But the sign will long endure, when learning has disappeared, this should be understood as said according to the reciters of the Khandhakas. But in the commentary to the Dīgha Nikāya, it was said thus: "For a thousand years it endured with those who attained the discriminations, for a thousand years with those with the six superknowledges, for a thousand years with those with the three knowledges, for a thousand years with dry-insight practitioners, for a thousand years it endured with the Pātimokkha." This too, was said according to the reciters of the Dīgha Nikāya. In the commentary to the Aṅguttara Nikāya too: From the Buddhas' passing away, for a thousand years they are able to generate the discriminations, thereafter, the six superknowledges, thereafter, being unable to do even that, they generate the three knowledges. As time goes on, being unable to generate even those, they become dry-insight practitioners.