There have been from ancient times until the present a number of persons who have preferred to instruct the people in the practice of Dhamma. According to their ideas such teaching would not be a waste of their lives, on the contrary it would be of great benefit to the people. Those who hold firmly to their ideals renounce their wealth, honour and individual happiness, and taking up the brahmacariya (chaste life) of one ordained, wander here and there in order to teach people, devoting their time for teaching their ideals to others.
Having a large gathering of disciples, such people are called Teachers (sàstà, satthà) whose teachings, which are believed by many people and which are handed down through generations (from teacher to pupil), are called sects (laddhi) or religions (sàsana). Our Teacher is one of those people. Although He was born in the Khattiya (noble warrior) class and became heir to the throne, being one who would receive the royal treasure and continue the royal line, still He was imbued with Great Compassion both innate and constant for all the people who He had the opportunity to benefit as they were under His control, yet He preferred instructing the people to reigning as king.
He was not deterred from living a hard and chaste life. This preference was the cause for His renunciation. It was common for those who were ordained with such a purpose to decide either that they would join with others and help them, or that they would seek their own way. At first, Prince Siddhattha resolved to join others and therefore went to live in the two hermitages (of Alàra Kàlàma and Uddaka Ràmaputta) but He was not satisfied with these two sectarian teachers and later, He decided to seek His own way. Having done so, it was in the nature of things for Him to choose the way and then to decide by which method He should teach. Continuing His search He realized that moral purity is the root cause of all virtues. At first striving with energy and perseverance, He attained that purity then He taught that same way to the people.
To begin with, He taught those who had already gone forth and when they were convinced and asked to join with Him, He allowed them to be bhikkhus by saying, “Ehi, bhikkhu, svàkkhàto dhammo cara brahmacariyaü sammà dukkhassa antakiriyàya” “Come bhikkhu, well-expounded is the Dhamma, live the brahmacariya for the complete ending of dukkha”. Having said this, those aspirants were accepted and joined the Sangha. This ordination is called Ehi-bhikkhu upasampadà which means “the Acceptance (by saying), Come bhikkhu!” At the time when there were many disciples or sàvakas, they were sent (by the Exalted Buddha) to various countries to propagate the Dhamma and when there were, as a consequence of this, many more aspirants for ordination, the sàvakas led them to the presence of the Exalted Buddha so that they might get permission to be bhikkhus according to the tradition established at first by Him. The Exalted Buddha realized the difficulties of both leaders and followers due to the rough and difficult paths.
He allowed therefore, his sàvakas themselves to accept the aspirants but He changed the procedure so that it was no longer done by beckoning and gestures on His part but later aspirants had first to shave their heads and then to clad themselves in kàsàya robes (of ochre colour) as a mark of their condition. Then they had to utter the solemn words of going for Refuge to the Triple Gem while showing the proper gestures of respect. Having done this, the aspirant was accepted and joined the community as a bhikkhu. Hence, this form of ordination is called Tisaraõagamanåpasampadà, meaning “the Acceptance by Going for Refuge to the Triple Gem”. In those early times, soon after His Enlightenment, the method of receiving a person who wished to become a bhikkhu was accomplished by the individual, that is to say either by the Exalted Buddha, or by one of his sàvakas.
At the end of this period, the Sàsana increased very much, growth among followers comprising both bhikkhus and laity, men and women. With a view to establish a firm foundation for the Buddhasàsana and wishing to benefit the people the Exalted Buddha allowed the Sangha to be the authority for control of the community. ‘Sangha’ here, does not mean individual bhikkhus as understood by the common people (in Siam now) but has the meaning of many bhikkhus who assemble to carry out some duty, just as a quorum of some society’s members are authorized to take action, this is called ‘sangha’. The numbers of bhikkhus comprising a sangha is determined by their functions.
Most functions require a sangha of four bhikkhus which is called catuvagga (a group of four) but some functions need a sangha of five bhikkhus, some ten bhikkhus, while some require twenty. They are called respectively pa¤cavagga dasavagga, vãsativagga (groups of five, ten, twenty). When we come to this stage, the upasampadà becomes one of the functions performed by a sangha. At that time Lord Buddha ceased to give ordination by himself and instructed his sàvakas also not to ordain (by the Going to the Three-Refuge-Upasampadà). He then allowed the sangha to give the kind of ordination called ¤atticatutthakamma-upasampadà meaning that the bhikkhus assemble according to the number of members required for the function (to be done) in the place called the sãmà (a limited area with an established boundary) first announcing the motion regarding the acceptance of an aspirant to join the community and then obtaining the approval of all participating bhikkhus.
In a country where there were plenty of bhikkhus, which at the time meant the Middle Country (Gangetic Valley in India), ten bhikkhus were needed to accomplish the upasampadà. But in a country where bhikkhus were (or are) difficult to find, as in some remote places, only five bhikkhus were required. Upasampadà accomplished by the power of the sangha is the form practised to the present day. Generally speaking there are three kinds of bhikkhus, namely those who were ordained by Lord Buddha Himself known as Ehibhikkhu-upasampadà, those who were ordained by His sàvakas being called Tisaraõagamanåpasampadà and those given ordination by a sangha, called ¥atticatutthakamma-upasampadà.
These three groups of bhikkhus had a common saüvàsa, that is, they lived by the same code of discipline and were considered equal in all respects. The method called Tisaraõagamanåpasampadà which was discontinued for bhikkhus, was adopted for the ordination of young persons under twenty years old, which became the prescribed minimum age for a bhikkhu. The youths ordained in this way were called sàmaõera who were given ordination by an individual bhikkhu who was senior, that is a thera. So with the coming into existence of the sàmaõera there were two kinds of ordination, that of upasampadà to become a bhikkhu, and that of pabbajjà for a sàmaõera.
However, before a person can be ordained with the upasampadà, he must pass through the Going-forth or pabbajjà, this being the combination which has been practised until the present day. Four Fulfilling Conditions Now I shall explain the tradition of giving the upasampadà by the sangha, the rules and regulations for which can be summarized as follows 1) The person who wishes for upasampadà must be male. 2) He must have reached the prescribed age of 20 years calculated from conception (this is fixed by carefully counting the time spent in the mother’s womb as six lunar months). 3) He must not be defective as man, that is, a eunuch (or defective in other ways lacking limbs, or being deformed). 4) He must never have committed very serious crimes including capital offences, for example, matricide, patricide, and so on. 5) He must never have committed any serious offence according to the Buddhasàsana such as committing a pàràjika offence when previously ordained as a bhikkhu.
Or although he had been a bhikkhu in the past yet he had wrong view and entered some other religion. (These points will now be discussed in greater detail). If one has committed such serious offences or one is a woman, then such persons cannot receive upasampadà and their ordination would be known as vatthuvipatti, literally, defect of the material (i.e. the person to be ordained).
If a sangha gives the upasampadà knowing or not knowing about such defects, the aspirant will not be a bhikkhu according to the rules (laid down by Lord Buddha). Whenever the sangha come to know of such defects, that person already ‘ordained’ must be expelled from the sangha. A person who is lacking such defects and who therefore does not run counter to any of the five points above is called vatthu-sampatti (perfection of material) and can be given upasampadà by the sangha. A person who although not at all defective in any of the five points above, should still be carefully examined by the sangha before giving upasampadà to avoid giving upasampadà to thieves, hooligans and others of bad repute punishable by the civil courts.
Also to be avoided are persons having symbols tattooed on their bodies (as punishment in ancient times) according to the crimes committed, or having scars on their backs resulting from flogging (in the royal courts of old), or having deformed limbs or chronic diseases such that they cannot carry out duties of a bhikkhu, or persons with infectious diseases or those living under the protection of others such as parents, government officials, also bondsmen. and debtors. The latter classes (from protection of parents to the end), when they are released from that custody can receive upasampadà.
For instance, sons who are allowed by their parents, government officials granted permission by those in authority, bondsmen freed from their work, and debtors who have paid off their debts, are also to be allowed upasampadà.
Though these persons are prohibited yet they are not absolutely prohibited from upasampadà, as are the first group of persons. If the sangha unknowingly gives the upasampadà to this latter group their upasampadà remains valid and they are not to be expelled from the sangha. When the sangha wants to give upasampadà, the full number of bhikkhus necessary must be convened, this being known as parisa-sampatti (perfection of the assembly).
If there are less bhikkhus than the required number this is called parisa-vipatti (defect of the assembly) and upasampadà will be impossible. Upasampadà is an activity in which all the bhikkhus together must take part. Within a boundary or sãmà in a place where there are more bhikkhus than the prescribed number, but they do not all come to take part in the upasampadà, neither do they give their consent, the sangha which has been assembled although complete cannot give upasampadà. This is called sãmà-vipatti (defect of the boundary).
Therefore, the sangha though complete as to numbers must assemble within a limited area when their upasampadà will be valid, this being known as sãmà-sampatti (perfection of the boundary). Before the actual upasampadà there is a preliminary step which must be taken by the sangha. It must examine the qualifications of the aspirants (and to do so the sangha must agree to one or two àcariya or teachers for chanting the examination).
The questions which the teacher or teachers ask the aspirants cover only a part of the defects. It is probable that the most serious questions have been selected (to be asked in the presence of the sangha), or perhaps in the early days there were only these considerations, the others (defects of a lesser nature) being added later. The aspirant requires one bhikkhu who will recommend him and bring him into the presence of the assembled sangha and this bhikkhu is called the upajjhàya. The upajjhàya must be an able and senior bhikkhu who can teach the new bhikkhu when he has been ordained, and must also examine the necessary requisites or parikkhàra, for example, the robes and bowl belonging to the aspirant.
If they are not complete, it is the duty of the upajjhàya to provide them. The sangha must authorize one bhikkhu to question the aspirant regarding these requisites. This upasampadà must be given only to a person agreeing to it and must not be forced upon an unwilling person. It is a tradition that the applicant must first utter the words requesting the Going-forth. All these things to be done are called preliminary functions and should be completed before the motion and announcements.
If these preliminary functions are lacking in any way, provided that they do not concern serious defects, the upasampadà is still valid but still it will not be in accordance with tradition. When all the above perfections (sampatti) are complete, the time has arrived for announcing the acceptance of that aspirant into the community. It is the duty of the bhikkhu who is able and knowledgeable to make the announcement in the presence of the sangha. The announcement is made altogether four times, the first being the motion (¤atti) informing the sangha and asking for the acceptance of that aspirant. The following three announcements are called the anusàvanà, the words of consultation of the sangha to each other, during the recital of which any member of the sangha has the chance to speak. If any bhikkhu at this time should oppose the motion and announcements then that function will be spoilt but if all remain silent, their approval is understood. After that, the announcement of the sangha’s approval is made and the teacher (or teachers if both àcariyas are, chanting) says that he will remember (this consent). In the announcement, the name of the aspirant, that of the upajjhàya who is bringing the applicant to the sangha, as well as mention of sangha, must be uttered and must not be omitted, this being done fully, strictly and the not the reverse. This is called Kammavàcà-sampatti (the perfection of announcing the Act).
As against this there is Kammavàcà-vipatti which cannot be used (due to those defects in announcing the Act). The sangha who will give the upasampadà must be in accordance with these five sampatti and thereby the upasampadà will be carried out properly according to the rules laid down by the Exalted Buddha.
Summary of the Four Fulfilling Conditions 1. Vatthu-sampatti of the material (i.e. personal qualities) 2. Parisa-sampatti-of the assembly 3. Sãmà-sampatti-of the boundary 4. Kammavàcà-sampatti-of announcing the Act
The last may sometimes be divided into two thus making up a list of Five Sampatti 4. ¥atti-sampatti-of the motion 5. Anusàvana-sampatti-of the announcements
By Somdet Phra Sangharàja Pussadeva of Wat Ràjapratisñhasthita Mahàsãmàràma.