Mahavagga, Khandaka 1, Chapter 28

1. At that time a certain Brāhmaṇa came to the Bhikkhus and asked them for the pabbajjā ordination. The Bhikkhus were not willing to ordain him. As he did not obtain the pabbajjā ordination from the Bhikkhus, he became emaciated, lean, discoloured, more and more livid, and the veins became visible all over his body.

And the Blessed One saw this Brāhmaṇa, who had become emaciated, &c. When he had seen him, he said to the Bhikkhus: 'How is it, O Bhikkhus, that this Brāhmaṇa has become emaciated, &c.'

“This Brāhmaṇa, Lord, came to the Bhikkhus and asked them for the pabbajjā ordination (&c., as above, down to:), and the veins became visible all over his body.”

2. Then the Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus: 'Now, O Bhikkhus, who remembers anything about this Brāhmaṇa?'

When he had spoken thus, the venerabIe Sāriputta said to the Blessed One: 'I remember something, Lord, about this Brāhmaṇa.'

“And what is it you remember, Sāriputta, about this Brāhmaṇa?”

“This Brāhmaṇa, Lord, one day, when I went through Rājagaha for alms, ordered a spoonfuI of food to be given to me; this is what I remember, Lord, about this Brāhmaṇa.”

3. 'Good, good, Sāriputta; pious men, Sāriputta, are gratefuI and remember what has been done to them. Therefore, Sāriputta, confer you the pabbajjā and upasampadā ordinations on that Brāhmaṇa.'

“Lord, how shall I confer the pabbajjā and upasampadā ordinations on this Brāhmaṇa?”

Then the Blessed One on this occasion, after having delivered a religious discourse, thus addressed the Bhikkhus: 'I abolish, O Bhikkhus, from this day the upasampadā ordination by the threefoId declaration of taking refuge^[1], which I had prescribed. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that you confer the upasampadā ordination by a formal act of the Order in which the announcement (ñatti) is followed by three questions^[2].

4. 'And you ought, O Bhikkhus, to confer the upasampadā ordination in this way: Let a learned, competent Bhikkhu proclaim the following ñatti before the Saṃgha:

'Let the Saṃgha, reverend Sirs, hear me. This person N. N., desires to receive the upasampadā ordination from the venerable N. N. (i.e. with the venerable N. N. as his upajjhāya). If the Saṃgha is ready, let the Saṃgha confer on N. N. the upasampadā ordination with N. N. as upajjhāya. This is the ñatti.

5, 6. 'Let the Saṃgha, reverend Sirs, hear me. This person N. N. desires to receive the upasampadā ordination from the venerable N. N. The Saṃgha confers on N. N. the upasampadā ordination with N. N. as upajjhāya. Let any one of the venerable brethren who is in favour of the upasampadā ordination of N. N. with N. N. as upajjhāya, be silent, and any one who is not in favour of it, speak.

'And for the second time I thus speak to you: Let the Saṃgha (&c., as before).

'And for the third time I thus speak to you: Let the Saṃgha, &c.

“N. N. has received the upasampadā ordination from the Saṃgha with N. N. as upajjhāya. The Saṃgha is in favour of it, therefore it is silent. Thus I understand^[3].”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See chap. 12 and the note on chap. 1. 1.

[2]:

The form for bringing a formal motion before the Order is the following: The mover first announces to the assembled Bhikkhus what resolution he is going to propose; this announcement is called ñatti (see, for instance, § 4). After the ñatti follows the question put to the Bhikkhus present if they approve the resolution. This question is put either once or three times; in the first case we have a ñattidutiya kamma(see, for instance, II, chap. 6); in the second case, a ñattikatuttha kamma (as in this chapter).

[3]:

With this and the following chapters should be compared the corresponding ordinance laid down in chapters 74-76.