[No. 1, 
2G (J. 0. Das— Note on the Buddhist Golden Book. 
the sake of the complete extinction of suffering.” Thus these venerable 
persons became ordained into the “ Order of the Perfected, ” which 
henceforth, with the Buddha at its head, became known as the 
“ Sariigha ,” the Holy Communion. And for the first time the Buddhist 
triad, i e., Buddha , Dharma, and Sarhgha, the Supreme Perfected Being, 
his doctrine and priesthood was formed. Before this there existed the 
two, i. e ., the Buddha and his doctrine (Dliavma). There was no Bud¬ 
dhist priesthood till then. 
When the Blessed One had converted the five Bhikkhus into his 
doctrine, Yasa, the noble youth, the son of a rich merchant of Benares, 
being satiated with the pleasures of the world, happened to visit him in 
the grove of Rsipatana. Shortly after Yasa’s arrival, his father came 
in search of him. The Blessed One convinced both the father and the 
son of the excellence of his doctrine. And Yasa, the noble youth, soon 
after the Qresthin (merchant) was gone, said to the Buddha : “Lord, let 
me receive the Pravrajyd and Upasampada ordinations.” Said the Buddha, 
“ Well taught is the doctrine : lead a holy life for the sake of the com¬ 
plete extinction of suffering.” Yasa was accordingly admitted into the 
Holy Order of Bhikkhus. In the evening of that day Buddha visited the 
house of the Qresthin, when Yasa’s former wife and mother came, and re¬ 
verentially saluting, sat down near him to hear the Dharma. The 
Blessed One talked about the merits obtained by alms-giving. The ladies, 
having seen the Truth, said: “ We take our refuge, Lord, in Thee and in 
the Dharma and in the fraternity of Bhikkhus. May the Blessed One 
receive us from this day forth, while our life lasts, as disciples who have 
taken their refuge in Him.” These were the first females in the world 
who became lay disciples by the formula of taking refuge in the holy 
triad. Thereafter fifty-four lay persons, friends of the veuerable Yasa, 
belonging to the highest families in the country, were admitted into the 
Holy Order, in consequence of which the number of Araliats then rose to 
sixty-one. At this stage the Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus— 
Origin of the Buddhist Propaganda. 1 
“Go ye now, 0 Bhikkhus, and wander, for the gain of the many, for 
the welfare of the many, out of compassion for the world; for the good, 
for the gain, and for the welfare of the gods and men. Let not two of 
you go the same way. Preach the doctrine which is glorious in the 
beginning, glorious in the middle, glorious at the end, in the spirit and 
in the letter; proclaim a consummate, perfect and pure life of holiness. 
There are beings whose mental eyes are covered by scarcely any dust; but 
if the doctrine is not preached to them, they cannot attain salvation. 
1 Mahavagga, I, 11. 1. Ed. 
