Jaswinder Singh

Student Id-201910058

Development of the Buddhist Monastic Order from Wandering to

Settled Life
Introduction

At first Buddhism in its beginning was religion 'for the monkhood' and that the
laity was on its fringes. The monks of Buddha lived in an organized system
called Sangha. The sangha said to have as the instrument by which the damma
could be performed practically. The Theravada texts represent the monk
community as the sole custodian of the religion and draw (in respect of
participation in the dhamma) a dividing line between monks and laypeople.
With the spread of Buddhism, the wandering sect become a settled order
during the rainy season in varshavasa. Wherever Buddhism spread and the
monks came and settled monasteries were built for them. The Monasteries
had to function differently, therefore, the order of the Sangha developed, and
new rules were originated time by time. Some scholars think that the
institution of the rainy season retreat served as a bridge between two periods
in the history of Buddhist monkhood from wandering to a sedentary life. In this
paper, we will see how the Sangha separated itself from the parent community
by its modification and specialization of a general custom, varshavasa or rain
retreat, observed by wandering almsmen.

1.1 Early Group of Paribbajika(wanderer)

According to the Pali Canon, the monastic community was first established
in Benares, in the Deer Park, after the first discourse of the Buddha to the five
ascetics. As time passes, people who were renouncers, members of one or
another sect or religious group and people who were living in the house
gradually became the disciple of the buddha and abandoned their early order
of life. In initial times the Buddha and his disciples had no fixed abode and
never stayed long in the same place. However, outside the rainy season,
Paribbajakas, Ajlvikas, Niganthas (Jains) and individual ascetics were
constantly on the move, for them traveling was a way to practice detachment
but according to Vinaya Pitaka Buddha travel for the goods of the many. This
wandering life on the road was a good way to advertise the young master and
his Doctrine.

1.1.1 Resting Places for Night Stay

The canonical texts also mention the names of several forests in which the
Buddha and his disciples stayed at night. They always traveled during the day,
and at night they received lodging in the town meeting hall. These places were,
it seems, open to monks, nuns, and other ascetics to pass the night on their
travels. There were also public parks, such as Ambalatthika in Rajagaha, which
were popular resting-places for wandering ascetics. Every day, so the Vinaya
texts tell us, these monks admitted many new members into the Community.
At this time although they were resting at night, they continued their traveling
during the rainy season.

1.1.2 Beginning of Varshavas

When Some monks told the Buddha that people were annoyed and had
made angry complaints because of their traveling during the rainy season than
first-time Buddha permitted them to observe a retreat during the rainy season.
According to one of the Mahdvagga instructions that a monk observing the
rainy season retreat must not travel before he has completed the retreat.
From this time all monks were obliged to stay for those three months in one
place, but they were not allowed to settle just anywhere. The Vinaya Pitaka
and the Sutta Pitaka show that even after being given places to live, the
Buddha and his disciples did not abandon traveling.

1.1.3 Parks and Lodgings

According to the Mahavagga text, the first park for resting at night during
the rainy season was given by King Bimbisara, a friend and lay disciple of the
Buddha. The Mahavagga (Vin I 38) gives the following account of the event:
"the king of Magadha, Seniya Bimbisara, took a ceremonial golden cup filled
with water, poured it over the Blessed One's hand, and thus made the
donation: 'Blessed One, I give this Bamboo Grove to the Community with the
Blessed One at its head'; then the Blessed One accepted the park”.

When a great merchant from Rajagaha wanted to have residences built for
the monks then Buddha allowed five kinds of dwelling places, an ordinary
residence (vihara), round residences (addhayoga), long (pasada), or with
several stories (hammiya), and a cave. Soon Anathapindika, a great banker
from Savatthi and one of the most devoted lay disciples, bought a park for the
Buddha and his disciples on which he had large dwelling places built, which
included cells, store-rooms, meeting rooms, rooms with a fire-place, places to
store gifts, toilets, meditations walk-ways, rooms next to wells, rooms for hot
baths, and lotus ponds. It is mentioned in The Ganaka Moggallana-Sutta (M III
1. cf. S V 269-270) that the monastery in Savatthi, whose construction was
financed by Visakha-Migara-Mata, was a seven-story building, it took many
years to complete. The great monastery known as Kukkutarama in Kosambi
was built by a banker called Kukkuta.
1 Wijayaratna, Mohan, Buddhist monastic life: According to the text of the theravada tradition, translated by
Grangier, Claude and Steven collins,{ Cambridge university press: New York, 1990},

1.1.4 Rules of Sanga

The Cullavagga mentions a rapid increase in the number of residences built

from the time the rule allowed monks to accept them. From then on, rules
would be required to regulate these matters. Most of these rules were
established with two intentions in mind monks should not stray from a simple
way of life, and they should not abuse the generosity of their benefactors.

Buildings

The construction of a residence was not to entail the destruction of plant life
or ancient sanctuaries belonging to other religions, and there had to be an
open space around the building. Once the building work was completed,
monks were not allowed to importune the benefactor with requests for more
rooms.

Material

When the criticisms came to the Buddha's ears about luxuries material then he
forbade members of the Community to use certain things in the monasteries.
They had a choice of four kinds of beds and five kinds of mattresses to sleep
on.
Property

Monasteries and furniture were not the private property of Buddhist monks
and nuns. According to the Vinaya texts, King Bimbisara made his gift of a royal
park to "the Community which has the Buddha at its head," as did the great
banker of Rajagaha who had residences built for the monks. Every example to
be found in the texts shows that donations were not personal gifts. In this way
benefactors always donated gifts to the Community without mention of
particular persons.

These rules give us quite a clear picture of the living conditions of the Buddhist
renouncers, and their attitude toward material objects, especially their
residences.

Traveling during settlement

Every speech by the Buddha, every discussion between the disciples in the
Sutta Pitaka, and every episode in the Vinaya Pitaka, show that the Master and
his disciples still travelled from place to place, even though they had
monasteries at their disposal. When the Buddha and his group travelled a long
way, they could rest in residences close to their route. In that way,
monasteries had become part of the Community's traveling lifestyle. At the
same time, they became centres for lay disciples in the locality. To regulate
monks and nuns' travel, several rules were laid down in the Patimokkha.