a great Rishi, and had returned to King Okkáka and compelled him, by a threatening series of miraculous plagues, to give him his daughter.

6

་

Gotama then asked Ambattha, 'If a man is the son of a Khattiya by a Brahman woman, will he get seat and water among Brahmans?' He will.' And be admitted to share their dish and bowl?' 'Yes.' 'Will they admit him as a student of the mantras?' 'Yes.' 'Will they give him their daughters?' 'Yes.' 'Will Khattiyas anoint him to Khattiya rank?' 'No.' 'Why?' Because he is not born (of their caste) on the mother's side.' 'Will the son of a Brahman by a Khattiya woman be received to seat and water, bowl and dish, among Brahmans?' 'Yes.' 'Will they admit him as a student?' 'Yes.' 'Give him their women?' 'Yes.' 'Will Khattiyas anoint him?' 'No.' 'Why? 'Because he is not born (of their caste) on the

father's side.'

Then, Ambattha,' says Gotama, whether you look at it from the woman's side or from the man's,' the Khattiyas are higher and the Brahmans lower. Take the case of a Brahman who is expelled in disgrace by his fellow-Brahmans, will Brahmans receive him, or eat with him, or teach him?' 'No.' 'Will they give him their women?' 'No.' But if a Khattiya is expelled by Khattiyas, will Brahmans receive him, feed him, and teach him?' 'Yes.' 'Give him their daughters?'

'Yes.'

1 This rendering is hardly borne out by the commentary, but I can find no other intelligible.

'Then even when a Khattiya is in the utmost disgrace, the Khattiyas are the superiors and the Brahmans the inferiors.'

This has all been an argumentum ad hominem; the true moral is attached at the end.

'It was a Brahman, Ambattha, who uttered the

verse :

The Khattiya is best among those who reckon family,1

But the man of perfect conduct and knowledge is best among gods and men."

'And this, I think, Ambattha, is very well said.'

In the Samyutta Nikaya we read :—

'The youth in whom mastery and strength are found

A king bent on war would enlist rather than one who by birth was a son of the gods

And so the man in whom are set the qualities of endurance and gentle

ness:

That noble-living man the wise will honour, low-born though he be.'

The following comes from Sanyut. vii. 1. 9. I suspect it to be a purely Brahmanical, as it certainly ancient, piece of verse :

is a very

'Ask not of race, but ask of conduct,
From the stick is born the sacred fire;
The wise ascetic though lowly born
Is noble in his modest self-control.

1 Ye gotta patisárino. Professor Rhys Davids, in a note to his Questions of King Milinda (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xxxv. p. 229), renders thus: 'Those who observe the rules of exogamous marriage,' as if 'going from family to family.' As I do not know the learned Professor's reasons, I follow the Buddhist authorities, ancient and modern; and I must say I think their interpretation suits the context better. I think this is one of the cases in which the Pali and Buddhist use of a word has diverged from the Sanscrit and Brahmanic use.

Subdued by truth, subject to discipline,-
Perfect in sacred lore, trained in holy conduct,
The truly invested sacrificer-him call to your rites,
He offers seasonably, and is worthy of the gift.'1

But the fact is, this teaching is a commonplace of the later Brahmanism as well as of Buddhism. In the Mahabharata-where indeed there is a great deal that is thoroughly Buddhist in substance if not in origin 2we read for instance: 'The Brahmana who is vain and haughty, who is addicted to vices and wedded to evil and degrading practices, is like a Sudra. On the other hand, I consider a Sudra who is always advanced with these virtues-righteousness, self-restraint, and truthfulness, as a Brahmana. A man becomes a Brahmana by his character.'

1 I suspect that this originally meant, the sacrificer's fee,' and was adapted to the view of the Buddhist monk as the proper recipient of gifts,-the 'meritfield.'

2 The Udyoga Parva is a link between the Tevijja Sutta, for instance, and the later Brahmanism.-See Udyoga Parva, pp. 133, 216 (English translation).

CHAPTER XVIII

DISCIPLINARY RULES OF THE COMMUNITY

THE

HE disciplinary rules of the Community, as distinguished from the moral rules, need not detain us very long. They have in great part already come before us. The foundation, it is often said, of the monastic life consists in the four 'Resources,' the minimum of dwelling, dress, food, and condiments. These and their qualifications are dwelt upon, in the Vinaya Pitaka, in the minutest detail, by the enumeration, for instance, of all the possible materials of which slippers may or may not be made; but the important and characteristic features of the rule are but few. The chief topics may be thus distinguished the conditions and ceremonies of admission into the Community; the method of conducting its business, in what we should call 'chapters;' and the seasons for assembly and retirement.

Admission, etc.-Boys were to be admitted to the condition of novices-who had renounced the world but not entered into the full profession of the Community— from the age of fifteen,' though in exceptional cases boys might be admitted earlier-when old enough to 1 Maha Vagga, i. 50.

Q

scare crows.'1 The candidate was to have his head shaved, to put on the yellow robes, and to declare his trust by the three-fold repetition of the formula: 'I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Doctrine, I take refuge in the Community."

Each younger monk was to be under a tutor, and the relation between them was to be like that of son to father, every possible respect, attendance, and consideration being due on the part of the pupil, and all possible help and guidance on the part of the tutor.3 A very similar relation was that between scholar and instructor; in fact, it is hardly possible to say what the distinction between the two relations was. A tutor was not to present more than one novice at a time, unless he was himself unusually competent.

Cripples and deformed persons, slaves, debtors, and criminals, persons in the king's service, and animals, were expressly disqualified from admission;5 nor could any one be admitted without the express permission of his parents.

The novitiate continued at least until the age of twenty, and then full admission might be conferred. This important ceremony could not take place except

1 Maha Vagga, i. 51.

2 lb. i. 54.

3 lb. i. 25. It does not appear that at first this relationship ended with the full profession of the pupil. Maha Vagga, i. 31. 33.

4 Ib. i. 32.

5 See Maha Vagga, i. 63. It is amusing to read 'Let the animal, O Bhikkhus, that has has not received the “upasampadá ordination" not receive it; if it has received it, let it be (expelled from the fraternity).' Sacred Books of the East, xiii. p. 219. The second question asked of the candidate for full admission was to be 'Are you a human being?'

6 Maha Vagga, i. 54; see Ch. iv. p. 59.