robes, assembled in the hall of the Dharma Synod, with their right shoulders bare. They ranged themselves according to their rank, each in his appropriate place; and the hall "glittered with the yellow robes" of the monks. 5. The Synod was opened with the rehearsal of the Vinúya, superintended by Upáli, whom Buddha himself had pointed out as the most learned of all his followers in "religious discipline." Upáli mounted the Dharmasan, and with the ivory fan* in his hand, answered all the questions of Kásyapa regarding the Vinaya, in which there was nothing to be added or omitted. During this examination, the whole of the assembled monks chanted the Vinaya, passage by passage, beginning with "The holy Buddha in Weranja dwells." This ended, Upáli laid aside the ivory fan, and descended from the Dharmasan; and, with a reverential bow to the senior monks, resumed his own seat. Thus ended the rehearsal of Vinaya. 6. For the rehearsal of Dharma, the assembled Bhikshus selected Ananda (the nephew and companion of Buddha)† who, with his right shoulder bare, and the ivory fan in his hand, took his seat on the pulpit The "jewelled fan," as a symbol of authority, is mentioned in the Mahawanso, p. 189; and it is still used by the chiefs of religious fraternities in Ceylon, on all state occa sions. + According to some, he was the son of Dotodana, the younger brother of Suddhodan, the father of Sákya. of religion. He was then interrogated by Kásyapa "Through a long course of almost endless beings And over all desires victorious." 8. The examination ended with Buddha's last injunction to his disciples, given under the Sál tree at Kusinára. "Bhikshus! I now conjure you-earthly things Are transitory-seek eternal rest." 9. These rehearsals of Vinaya and Dharma lasted for seven months, and were concluded at the beginning of March, 542 B. C., when it was announced that the religion of the "ten-power-gifted Deity" should endure for five thousand years. This synod was known by different names; as the PrathamaSangham, or First Synod, the Pancha-Satika-San Turnour, in Prinsep's Journal, vi. 523. In this hymn the Supreme Being is twice called Gahákáraka, the "housebuilder"—that is, the artificer or creator of the human house, or body. + See Turnour, in Prinsep's Journal, vi. 527; and Mahawanso, p. 11. The "gifted with ten powers." gham, or Synod of Five Hundred, and the Stháviraka Sangham, or Saints'-Synod, because all its members belonged to the higher grade of monks.* 10. From this time until the end of the long reign of Ajátasatra, 519 B. C., the creed of Buddha advanced slowly, but surely. This success was partly due to the politic admission of women, who, even in the East, have always possessed much secret, though not apparent, influence over mankind. To most of them the words of Buddha preached comfort in this life, and hope in the next. To the young widow, the neglected wife, and the cast-off mistress, the Buddhist teachers offered an honourable career as nuns. Instead of the daily indignities to which they were subjected by grasping relatives, treacherous husbands, and faithless lords, the most miserable of the sex could now share, although still in a humble way, with the general respect accorded to all who had taken the vows. The Bhikshunis were indebted to Ananda's intercession with Sákya for their admission into the ranks of the Bauddha community; and they showed their gratitude by paying their devotions principally to his relics.† See Fo-kwe-ki, chap. xxv. note 11; and Mahawanso, chap. v. p. 20; and Turnour, in Prinsep's Journal, vi. 527. See also Csoma's Analysis of the Dulva, Trans. As. Soc. Bengal, vol. xx. p. 92. + See Csoma's Analysis of the Dulva, Res. As. Soc. Bengal, vol. xx. p. 90; also Fo-kwe-ki, chap. xvi. p. 101. The Pikhieu-ni, or Bhikshunis, at Mathura, paid their devotions chiefly 11. The dress of the Ascetics was the same both for males and females. It consisted of three garments, all of which were yellow; 1st, The Sanghâti, or kilt, fastened round the waist and reaching to the knees; 2nd, The Uttara-Sangháti, a mantle, or cape, which was worn over the left shoulder, and under the right, so as to leave the right shoulder bare; 3rd, The Antara-vásaka, an under vest or shirt for sleeping in.* The first and second garments are represented in many of the Sánchi bas-reliefs. They are to the Stupa of A-nan (Ananda), because he had besought Buddha that he would grant to women the liberty of embracing ascetic life. The observances required from the nuns may be found in note 23, chap. xvi. of the Fo-kwe-ki. The female ascetic even of 100 years of age was bound to respect a monk even in the first year of his ordination. • Fo-kwe-ki, chap. xiii. note 14. Csoma, Res. As. Soc. Bengal, p. 70, Analysis of the Dulva, states that these three pieces of clothing were of a dark red colour; but yellow is the colour everywhere mentioned in the Páli annals. These two colours are still the outward distinctions of the Buddhists of Tibet; and therefore it is probable that the Buddhist dress may have been dark red in Sákya's time, and yellow during the reigns of Asoka and Milindu. According to the Chinese (Fo-kwe-ki, xiii. 10), the Sangháti consisted of seven pieces; the Uttara - Sangháti, of seven pieces; and the Vâsaka of five pieces: but the number of pieces is stated differently in another place (Fo-kwe-ki, c. viii. p. 5) as nine, seven, and five. The dress also is said to have been of divers colours; while in the Buddhist annals it is invariably mentioned as yellow. Ladies of wealth in Ladák have their petticoats formed of numerous perpendicular strips of cloth, of different colours, but generally red, blue, and yellow. See Plate XI. of this volume for these dresses. all barred perpendicularly to represent their formation of separate pieces sewn together. In after times, the number of pieces denoted the particular school or sect to which the wearer belonged. The mantle or cape was scarcely deep enough to hide the right breasts of the nuns-at least it is so represented in the bas-reliefs; but as the same custom of baring the right arm and shoulder still prevails amongst the females of Middle Kanâwar, on the Sutlej, without any exposure of the breasts, I presume that their representation by the sculptor at Sánchi was only the result of his own clumsiness, as he could not otherwise show the difference of sex. 12. When engaged in common occupation, such as fetching water, felling wood, and carrying loads,* the monks are always represented without their mantles or capes. At religious meetings, as we have seen at the First Synod, and as they are represented throughout the Sánchi bas-reliefs, they wore all their robes. But during their contemplative abstraction in the woods, the devotees are represented naked to the waist, their upper garments being hung up inside their leaf-roofed houses. These devotees are, no doubt, the Tuμvnraι of Kleitarchos; for Tuuvns or Tuμvnτns does not mean a naked man, but only a All these acts are represented in the Sánchi bas-reliefs. The first is found on the left pillar of the eastern gateway, second compartment, inner face. The others are shown in the third compartment of the same pillar. |