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See Prof, Max Miller, Rig-veda (2nd edition), vol. iv, p. xxxv. See my note at the end. * By ‘elsewhere’ he perhaps meant Hiuen Thsang, Si-yu-ki, at any rate Kasyapa supposes so. 5 J. has Ed. i.e. ‘must get accustomed to these points.’ RULES OF ORDINATION. 103 ordination. But in the Nalanda monastery the priests often receive the Upasampada! ordination (i.e. full ordination) in the early morning, on the first day of the ‘long season’ (17th of the 6th moon, see above), when the day has just begun to dawn. They mean to claim seniority among those who are ordained in the same summer. This is the early dawn of the 17th day of the 6th moon of China; (they do so because, otherwise), they cannot get the second summer-retreat 2. (Note by I-tsing): This division is in accordance with the summer- retreat of India. If we follow the old practice of China, the second summer-retreat would be on the 17th of the 5th moon. If one receive the ordination when the night of the 16th day of the 6th moon (i.e. a day before the second summer-retreat begins) is about to end, one would be the junior of all ordained in the same summer. (When one is ordained at the dawn of the 17th of the 6th moon, i.e. the commencement of the second varsha), the candidate obtains the second summer-retreat as well, and he therefore need not make ‘gifts to others after the ordination, except to his teachers, to whom something” either trifling or extravagant may be given. Some such thing as a girdle ora filter should be brought and offered to the teachers who are present in the place of the ordination (and take part in it), in order to show sincere gratitude (lit. unerring mind, ie. Amogha). Then the Upa- dhyaya giving out the contents of the Pratimoksha® teaches the candidate the character of the offerices and how to recite the precepts. These having been learnt, the candidate begins to read the larger Vinaya-pifaka ; he reads it day after day, and is examined every morn- ing, for if he does not keep to it constantly he will lose intellectual * See Childers, s.v, ;"Oldenberg, Buddha, p. 347 seq. ? Two summer-retreats are held in one year; the first begins on the rst day of the dark half of the sth moon, and ends in the middle of the 8th moon; and the second begins on the rst day of the dark half of the 6th moon, and ends in the middle of the 9th moon (see chap. xiv). If one receive the ordination on the 17th of the 6th moon, i.e. the beginning of the second summer, one can claim the residence of the second summer-retreat as well as the first. Choosing the early dawn also means getting an earlier ordination. ® See the Vinaya text, part i, S. B. E., vol. xiii. 104 A RECORD OF. BUDDHIST PRACTICES. XIX, power. When he has read the Vinaya-pizaka, he begins to learn the - Stitras and SAstras. Such is the way in which a teacher instructs in India. Althoigh it is a long period since the days of the Sage, yet such a custom still exists unimpaired. These two teachers (i.e. Upadhyaya and Karmafarya)! are likened to parents. .Can it be right for a man who has taken unusual pains to be ordained to pay no more attention to the precepts when he hag been ordained ? It is surely a pity that such a beginning should have no satisfactory end. There are some who after having desired to be ordaifted, when they first met their teachers, have never after ordination approached their teachers again ; they neither read the book on precepts nor open the Vinaya texts: such men have been vainly admitted into the religious ranks, and will be a loss to themselves and to others also. Persons of this kind cause destruction to the Law. The following are the grades (lit. Rules of Practice) of Indian priests, Aftér the Upasampada ordination, the priest is called Cha-ga-ra (i.e. Dahara), which is translated by ‘small teacher,’ and those who have com- pletely passed ten summer-retreats? are called Sthavira (elders), which is translated by ‘settled position, for a Sthavira can live by himself with- out living under a teacher’s care. He can also become an Upadhyaya. In letters or any communication one puts down Sramavera N.N., Dahara (small) Bhikshu N. N., or Sthavira Bhikshu N. N.; but if one be learned both in the sacred and secular literatures and famed as virtuous, one should call oneself a Bahusruta N.N. One must not call oneself a Sangha N.N. (as they do in China), for Sangha is the name of the whole assembly of priests. How then can one individual call himself a Sangha, which contains four classes of men (priests)? In India there is no such custom as calling oneself a Sangha (as in China). Any one who becomes an Upadhyaya must bea Sthavira, and must have passed the full ten summer-retreats. The age of a Karma#arya and private instructor, and of other teachers who are witnesses, is not 1 For these two teachers, see Mahdavagga I, 32, 1, note, pp. 178-9, 5. B.E., vol. xiii. 2 The number of years for Sthavira given here confirms the statement of Childers, s. v. ‘thero’ (also Hardy’s E. Mon. 11, and Burnouf’s Intr. Bud. 288). RULES OF ORDINATION. 105, limited’; they must be fully acquainted with the Vinaya, being them- selves pure; and must be either in the full or in the half number?, It is said in the Vinaya: ‘Those are guilty of defiling others who call a man Upadhyaya who is not really an Upadhyaya, or Akarya who is not an AéAarya, or vice versa, and those also who being themselves Upadhyayas refuse to be called so, When a man has asked one, saying: ‘What is your Upadhyaya’s name?’ or ‘Whose pupil are you?’ and also when one has oneself thought it proper to tell the name of one’s Upadhy4ya as required by circumstances, one should say: ‘Under the present circumstances I tell you the name of my Upadhyaya; he is N. N. by name.’ One should not wonder that the (pronoun) ‘I’ is used here 5, for the expression of ‘I’ is not a haughty word in India and in the islands of the Southern Sea. Even to call others ‘you’ is not disrespectful language. It is simply meant to distinguish one from another, and these words never convey an idea of haughtiness, quite unlike the custom of China, which considers the use of ‘I’ and ‘you’ rude and unconventional. If one still dislikes the use of ‘I,’ one may use ‘now’ instead of ‘I 4” These points are in conformity with the teaching of the Buddha, and must be practised by the priests. Do not join the train of people who are blind to black and white (i.e. wrong and right). Those white-robed (laymen) who come to the residence of a priest, and read chiefly Buddhist scriptures with the intention that they may * one day become tonsured and black-robed, are called ‘children’ (Maxava), > The text has Big fe af % #, but 3% cannot very well be construed here: I should amend dhe reading by placing BE instead of that character ; " these two are very much alike when written in a running hand. , ® The text has rh Pe By as lit. ‘full in the medium or the extreme number,’ K4syapa says that rp By 8 is ten in number, and 3B a By is five in number, but why they are called the ‘medium’ and ‘ extreme’ we do not know. ° The reader is reminded that in Chinese, courteous language does not like the use of a pronoun of the first person, but use is made of secondary nouns, such as ‘servant,’ ‘slave,’ or one’s real name. * This substitute is admissible in Chinese, though it is very strange in English. P 106 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. XIX, Those who (coming to a priest) want to learn secular literature only, without having any intention of quitting the world, are called ‘students’ (Brahmaé#érin). These two groups of persons (though residing in a monastery) have to subsist at their own expense. (Note by I-tsing): In the monasteries of India there are many ‘students’ who are entrusted to the Bhikshus and instructed by them in secular literature. On one hand the ‘students’ serve under the priests as pages, on the other the instruction will lead to pious aspirations. It is therefore very good to keep them, inasmuch as both sides are benefitted in this way. It is worth one bowl of gifts gained by the Dhata, without any trouble. Even if their service only be counted as gain, they are rather useful ; let them bring the tooth-woods or serve at the meals, and it is sufficient to supply the present need. It is not a bad way in any case. These ‘students’ must not be fed from the permanent property of the Saagha, for this is prohibited in the teaching of the Buddha; but if they have done some laborious work for the Sangha, they are to be fed by the monastery according to their merit. Food made for ordinary purposes or presented by the giver to be used by the ‘students’ can be given to them without wrong-doing. The Shadow of the Buddha has faded away from the Dragon River, and the Light of his splendour has disappeared from the Vulture Peak; how many Arhats have we who could hand down the Sacred Law? Thus it is said in a SAstra: ‘When the Great Lion closed his eyes, all the witnesses also passed away one after another. The world became ever more defiled by passion. One should be on one’s own guard without overstepping (the moral discipline).’ All the virtuous should join in protecting the Law. But if you, being remiss and idle, let human inclination work, what would you do with the men and Devas whose guidance is in your charge? It is said in the Vinaya: ‘As long as there is a Karmafarya (the holder of Rules) my Law will not be destroyed. If there be no one who holds and supports the Karma (Rules) my Law will come to an end” It is also said: ‘While my precepts exist, I live.’ These are not empty sayings, but have a deep meaning, and therefore should be duly respected, Again I express the same in verse: BATHING AT PROPER TIMES.