Budhism :—Laws of the Budhist Priesthood, 129 



abusively to the priests; or if they excite dissensions between 

 priests ; I direct, priests, that for any of these five offences a 

 Samanero shall be placed under penal discipline. 



The priests were doubtful how this discipline should be 

 exercised: upon which Budha decreed: 



49. I direct, priests, that they shall be placed under an 

 interdict, ( efo9d^o a restraint or prohibition respecting the 

 performance of certain actions or being in certain places.) 



Some priests prohibited Samaneros from being in any part 

 of the grounds belonging to the Monastery. In consequence 

 of which some of them ceased to be priests, while others joined 

 other religious bodies. This was reported to Budha, who 

 decreed : 



50. It is not proper, priests, to prohibit an entrance into 

 the entire grounds connected with the priest's residence : who- 

 ever does so is guilty of Dukkata. I permit priests, that 

 entrance into the place where the Upadya lives, or to which he 

 returns, may be interdicted. 



Some priests placed an interdict on the door of the mouth 

 ( i. e. prohibited the Samanero from eating or drinking), and 

 when persons brought conjee and rice for the use of the priests, 

 they invited the Samaneros to partake thereof. They replied, 

 We cannot, friends : we are prohibited by the priests. The 

 people were much dissatisfied with this conduct. The circum- 

 stance was brought to the notice of Budha, who decreed : 



51. It is not proper, priests, to prohibit (the Samaneros) 

 from eating. He who does so is guilty of Dukkata. 



Some of the six class priests, (that is, a fraternity of six 

 principal priests, who had many disciples and adherents among 

 the junior priests) placed Samaneros under an interdict with- 

 out the authority or privity of the Samaneros' Upadya : and 

 when the Upadya sought for them, saying, Where are our Sa- 

 maneros, we do not see them; they were informed that the six 

 class priests had put them under an inderdict. They com- 

 plained to Budha, who decreed : 



52. It is not proper, priests, to put (a Samanero) u^der an 



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