Mahavagga, Khandaka 1, Chapter 31

1. At that time a certain youth came to the Bhikkhus and asked them to be ordained. The Bhikkhus told him the (four) Resources before his ordination. Then he said: 'If you had told me the Resources, venerable Sirs, after my ordination, I should have persisted (in the religious life); but now, venerable Sirs, I will not be ordained; the Resources are repulsive and loathsome to me.'

The Bhikkhus told this thing to the Blessed One.

“You ought not, O Bhikkhus, to tell the Resources (to the candidates) before their ordination. He who does, is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that you tell the Resources (to the newly-ordained Bhikkhus) immediately after their upasampadā.”

2. At that time some Bhikkhus performed the upasampadā service with a chapter of two or three Bhikkhus.

They told this thing to the Blessed One.

“Let no one, O Bhikkhus, receive the upasampadā ordination before a chapter of less than ten Bhikkhus. He who performs the upasampadā service (with a smaller number of Bhikkhus), is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence. I prescribe you, O Bhikkhus, the holding of upasampadā services with a chapter of ten Bhikkhus or more than ten.”

3. At that time some Bhikkhus conferred the upasampadā ordination on their saddhivihārikas one or two years after their own upasampadā.^[1]Thus also the venerable Upasena Vaṅgantaputta conferred the upasampadā ordination on a saddhivihārika of his one year after his own upasampadā. When he had concluded the vassa residence, after two years from his own upasampadā had elapsed, he went with his saddhivihārika, who had completed the first year after his upasampadā, to the place where the Blessed One was; having approached him and respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down near him.

4. Now it is the custom of the blessed Buddhas to exchange greeting with incoming Bhikkhus. And the Blessed One said to the venerable Upasena Vaṅgantaputta: 'Do things go well with you, Bhikkhu? Do you get enough to support your life? Have you made your journey with not too great fatigue?'

'Things go pretty well with us, Lord; we get enough, Lord, to support our life, and we have made our journey, Lord, with not too great fatigue.' The Tathāgatas sometimes ask about what they know; sometimes they do not ask about what they know. They understand the right time when to ask, and they understand the right time when not to ask. The Tathāgatas put questions full of sense, not void of sense; to what is void of sense the bridge is pulled down for the Tathāgatas. For two purposes the blessed Buddhas put questions to the Bhikkhus, when they intend to preach the doctrine or when they intend to institute a rule of conduct to their disciples.

5. And the Blessed One said to the venerable Upananda Vaṅgantaputta: 'How many years have you completed, O Bhikkhu, since your upasampadā?'

“Two years, Lord.”

“And how many years has this Bhikkhu completed?”

“One year, Lord.”

“In what relation does this Bhikkhu stand to you?”

“He is my saddhivihārika, Lord.”

Then the blessed Buddha rebuked him: 'This is improper, O foolish one, unbecoming, unsuitable, unworthy of a Samaṇa, unallowable, and to be avoided. How can you, O foolish one, who ought to receive exhortation and instruction from others, think yourself fit for administering exhortation and instruction to another Bhikkhu? Too quickly, O foolish one, have you abandoned yourself to the ambition of collecting followers. This will not do (&c.: as in chap. 30. 3). Let no one, O Bhikkhus, confer the upasampadā ordination who has not completed ten years. He who does, is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that only he who has completed ten years or more than ten years, may confer the upasampadā ordination.'

6. At that time ignorant, unlearned Bhikkhus (who said), 'We have completed ten years (since our upasampadā), we have completed ten years,' conferred the upasampadā ordination; (thus) ignorant upajjhāyas were found and clever saddhivihārikas; unlearned upajjhāyas were found and learned saddhivihārikas; upajjhāyas were found who had small knowledge, and saddhivihārikas who had great knowledge; foolish upajjhāyas were found and wise saddhivihārikas. And a certain Bhikkhu who had formerly belonged to a Titthiya school, when his upajjhāya remonstrated with him (on certain offences) according to the Dhamma, brought his upajjhāya (by reasoning) to silence and went back to that same Titthiya school^[2].

7. The moderate Bhikkhus were annoyed, murmured, and became angry: 'How can those ignorant, unlearned Bhikkhus confer the upasampadā ordination (saying); "We have completed ten years, we have completed ten years?" (Thus) ignorant upajjhāyas are found and clever saddhivihārikas (&c., down to:), foolish upajjhāyas are found and wise saddhivihārikas.'

These Bhikkhus told, &c.

“Is it true, O Bhikkhus, &c.?”

“It is true, Lord.”

8. Then the blessed Buddha rebuked those Bhikkhus: 'How can these foolish persons, O Bhikkhus, confer the upasampadā ordination (saying), "We have, &c?" (Thus) ignorant upajjhāyas are found, &c. This will not do, O Bhikkhus, for converting the unconverted and for augmenting the number of the converted.'

Having rebuked those Bhikkhus and delivered a religious discourse, he thus addressed the Bhikkhus: 'Let no ignorant, unlearned Bhikkhu, O Bhikkhus, confer the upasampadā ordination. If he does, he is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence. I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that only a learned, competent Bhikkhu who has completed ten years, or more than ten years, may confer the upasampadā ordination.'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This story recurs in the Jātaka Commentary II, 449.

[2]:

See the conclusion of this in chapter 38.