History · Ch 4 — Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings — Cultural Developments
Followers of the Buddha
Followers of the Buddha
The Buddha did not teach in isolation. Soon after he began spreading his message, a community of disciples gathered around him. He founded the sangha, an organisation of monks who themselves became teachers of dhamma. These monks lived a life of extreme simplicity, owning only the bare essentials needed for survival — the most important being a bowl to receive food once a day from the laity (householders who supported them). Because they lived on alms (charitable gifts of food), they were called bhikkhus (literally, "one who lives on alms").
Initially, only men were allowed into the sangha. Later, women were also admitted. According to Buddhist texts, this change came about through the mediation of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s dearest disciples, who persuaded the Buddha to allow women into the sangha. The first woman to be ordained as a bhikkhuni (a female monk) was the Buddha’s own foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami. Many women who entered the sangha became respected teachers of dhamma and went on to become theris — respected women who had attained liberation (nibbana).
The Buddha’s followers came from many social groups. They included kings, wealthy men, and gahapatis (householders of high status), as well as humbler folk: workers, slaves, and craftspeople. Once inside the sangha, all were regarded as equal. They shed their earlier social identities — caste, class, gender — on becoming bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.
The internal functioning of the sangha was based on the traditions of ganas and sanghas (republican tribal assemblies). Decisions were arrived at through discussion. If consensus could not be reached, the matter was put to a vote.
The Therigatha (part of the Sutta Pitaka) is a unique Buddhist text — a collection of verses composed by bhikkhunis. It gives us a rare insight into women’s social and spiritual experiences in early India. One famous story is that of Punna, a dasi (slave woman). Every morning she went to the river to fetch water for her master’s household. There she saw a Brahmana performing bathing rituals. She questioned him: why was he afraid? He replied that washing in water frees one from evil. Punna retorted that if that were true, all frogs, turtles, water snakes, and crocodiles would go to heaven! Instead, she told him, stop doing the thing that makes you afraid — save your skin from the cold. This composition reflects several core Buddhist teachings: the rejection of ritual purification as a means to liberation, the emphasis on conduct over birth, and the idea that wisdom can come from anyone, even a slave woman.
The Vinaya Pitaka (the book of discipline for the sangha) contains detailed rules for monks and nuns. Some examples:
- A new felt blanket or rug made by a bhikkhu must be kept for at least six years. If he has another one made before that time (unless authorised by other monks), it must be forfeited and confessed.
- If a bhikkhu visiting a family is offered cakes or cooked grain-meal, he may accept only two or three bowlfuls. If he accepts more, it must be confessed. He must then share what he has accepted with the other monks.
- If a bhikkhu sets out bedding in a lodging belonging to the sangha, and then departs without putting it away or taking leave, it must be confessed.
These rules were framed to ensure simplicity, non-attachment, and communal sharing. They prevented monks from accumulating possessions or indulging in greed, and reinforced the ideal of a life of dependence on the laity and mutual support within the sangha. …
The figure shows a stone sculpture from Mathura, dated to around the third century CE. It depicts a woman carrying a water pot, likely balanced on her head or hip, in the manner of a water-carrier. The sculpture is a visual echo of Punna, the dasi (slave woman) from the Therigatha, who fetched water daily for her master’s household. Punna’s story is quoted in the textbook: she challenges a Brahmana’s belief that ritual bathing in the river washes away evil, using sharp logic to point out that if water could purify, then frogs and turtles would all go to heaven. Her verses reflect core Buddhist teachings — rejection of ritualism, emphasis on conduct over birth, and the idea that liberation comes from understanding, not from external acts. …
Source 6 — The Therigatha. A unique text within the Sutta Pitaka, a collection of verses composed by bhikkhunis (nuns), giving insight into women's experiences. Punna, a dasi (slave woman), records a conversation with a Brahmana she saw performing bathing rituals at the river:
I am a water carrier: even in the cold I have always gone down to the water, frightened of punishment or the angry words of high-class women. So what are you afraid of, Brahmana, that makes you go down to the water?
The Brahmana replied: I am doing good to prevent evil; anyone young or old who has done something bad is freed by washing in water.
Punna said: Whoever told you you are freed from evil by washing in the water? In that case all the frogs and turtles would go to heaven, and so would the water snakes and crocodiles! … Stop now, Brahmana! Save your skin from the cold … …
Source 7 — Rules for monks and nuns. Some of the rules laid down in the Vinaya Pitaka:
When a new felt (blanket/rug) has been made by a bhikkhu, it is to be kept for (at least) six years. If after less than six years he should have another new felt made … unless he has been authorised by the bhikkhus, it is to be forfeited and confessed.
In case a bhikkhu arriving at a family residence is presented with cakes or cooked grain-meal, he may accept two or three bowlfuls if he so desires. If he should accept more than that, it is to be confessed. Having accepted the two or three bowlfuls … he is to share them among the bhikkhus. …