From the mahavagga we learn that just after his enlightenment Buddha hesitated to preach his new doctrine to the people, not to speak of forming any Savgha. But it was at the request of Brahma Sahampati that he undertook the task of preaching his Dhamma to the populace. When he had taken up the idea of a Savgha, he did his best to place it on as thorough a basis as far as possible. Every delinquency on the part of a Bhikkhu reported to him had his immediate attention and a rule was framed to avert its future repetition, and this was done with an idea to make the non-believers believing and the believers doubling their faith in the words of the Buddha. Thus the five ascetics converted (Pabcavaggiyas), Yasa and his friends, thirty young men of respectable families (Bhaddavaggiyas), Uruvela-Kassapa, Nadi-Kassapa and Gaya-Kassaya and their followers, the Jatilas and many others who belonged to the various sections of the society were converted to the new religion of Buddha. With these disciples numbering over one thousand Buddha made his first Savgha. The Upasampada ordination was then conferred by a very simple ceremonial, and it consisted of an address of welcome by the Blessed One which contained only two words ‘Ehi Bhikkhu’ or ‘Etha Bhikkhavo’ according to the number of converts was singular or plural. The applicant or applicants thus addressed immediately became a Bhikkhu or Bhikkhus and did not go for many formalities which were introduced into the Buddhist Savgha afterwards. The first Savgha was formed but there was no vihara for the accommodation of all the Bhikkhus forming the Savgha. From the Mahavagga we know that king Bimbisara of Magadha, who became a lay disciple of Buddha, gave his bamboo grove, veluvana, to Buddha and his followers for residence of the bhikkhus. This was the establishment of the first Buddhist vihara. Buddha then went from Rajagaha to Kapilavatthu.here he allowed Rahula to join te Savgha. It is to be noted here that following the example of Rahula many other young Wakyas of respectable families joined the Savgha. They were Ananda, Anuruddha, Upali, Bhaddiya, Bhagu, Manda, Devadatta and Kimbila.

Buddha sent the first group of Bhikkhus to different places to propagate his new doctrine. They returned with a large number of disciples and Buddha ordained them. This gave him unnecessary trouble. It was for this reason the rule was issued. Then every Bhikkhu ordained all his new disciples on behalf of Buddha under the ‘Tisarana formula’ (in the name of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Savgha) wherever they found them. Stricter laws were introduced into the Savgha for the restriction of the people who wanted to join the Savgha to save themselves from humiliation and for protection. At first, the Savgha did not make any difference in the bestowal of the Pabbajja and the Upasampada between adults and boys below the age of twenty. Attracted by the comfortable life of the Bhikkhus, some of the guardians of boys allowed their wards to join the Savgha and to receive the Pabbjja and the Upasampada. But these boys did not act in a proper way. Thus it was laid down that no person below the age of twenty should be ordained, and at the same time, it should also be observed that none below the age of fifteen received the Pabbajja, but due to some unavoidable circumstances, boys below the age of fifteen were allowed to join the Savgha. After the Pabbajja, a Samanera (novice) was asked to observe only the

ten precepts and after the Uasampada a Bhikkhu was told to observe the four Parajikas and other rules of the Patimokha. After the Upasampada, the Bhikkhu was informed upon them. But it is to be noted here that at the time of the Pabbajja no one was allowed to mention these resources, because it had a very bad effect on the growth of the Savgha itself. It was allowed only at the time of the bestowal of the Upasampada.

When the Savgha became a centre of teaching and discipline under the guidance of Buddha, then new ideas were introduced into the Savgha. As a result, we see that Bhikkhus were divided into groups of teachers and pupils in the Savgha. A teacher who had the training for at least ten years could be a competent Bhikkhu. It was his duty to guide his students to follow the Vinaya rules properly.

In maintaining the high moral standard of the Savgha, further restrictions on admission to the Savgha were made by not allowing particular sets of people who were immoral or had any liability to eh society or to the state. They were soldiers, criminals etc. also men suffering from bodily defects or diseases and addicted to vice, were not allowed to join the Savgha. Thus from the above facts it is clear that the whole body of the Savgha discarded everything that was morally impure and defective, and, as a result, it became a very well-organised centre of learning and discipline.

Buddha then introduced into his Savgha the Uposatha ceremony ate the suggestion of King Bimbisara of Magadha. Buddha’s instruction to his disciples regarding the observance of this ceremony of the Uposatha was that, instead of talking about the Dhamma, they should recite the Patimokkha on this particular day. The Uposatha ceremony was to be held only once in fortnight either on the 14 th or 15th. The observance of the Vassa Vasa became very popular among the Bhikkhus. At eh close of the Vassa Vasa there was the Pavarana ceremony and the Kathina ceremony. Thus from the above facts it is clear that in order to maintain the discipline and to preserve the purity of the Savgha the rules were framed and were introduced into the Savgha one after another. But if a rule was found unworkable, it was immediately amended.

N. Dutta gives an account of the origin and growth of the Buddhist Savgha. He states, “Buddha started his mission as an eremitical teacher and had hardly any intention of forming a Savgha. The Vinaya tradition shows that the idea of a Savgha was thrust upon him, but once he had taken it up, he did his best to place it on as through a basis as possible. Every delinquency on the part of a Bhikkhu reported to him had his immediate attention, and a rule was framed to avert its future repetition, and this was done with a view to, in the words of Buddha, appasannanaj va pasadaya pasannaj va bhiyyobhavaya (‘to make the non-believers believe and the believers doubling their faith’).

The story of his forming the first band of disciples is related thus in the Vinaya Pitaka.

Buddha’s first converts were the five Bbramins Abbata Kondabba, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama, and Asajji, his quondam companions. The words in which they sought admission into the order were simply “labbeyyama mayaj bhante bhagavato santike pabbajjaj, labbeyyama upasampadan ti.” There was no formality, the only reply given by the Teacher was “etha Bhikkhavo ti.” The next batch of persons to accept his teaching was Yasa of Benares and his four friends Vimala, Subahu, Pannaji, and Gavampati, and his fifty other friends, and the procedure for admission was the same as above, now there were in all sixty disciples who were all Arhats. Buddha then sent out the sixty Arhats to as many places as they could reach, directing them not to go to one place even in twos. He himself went to Uruvela Sena-nigamo.

The Vinaya is silent about the activities of the sixty arahats though it mentions the difficulties experienced by them in admitting persons into the order by having to present them before Buddha for the purpose of ordination. It relates in detail how Buddha converted the thirty Bhaddavaggiya youths and the Jatila teachers, the three Kassapas with their disciples, and how one of the five Brahmana ascetics, Assaji, was instrumental in bringing about the conversion of Sariputta. The ordination so far effected was made by Buddha personally by uttering the two words: “ehi bhikkhu”. Neither the Vinaya nor the Nikayas continue the story of conversion any further, though they speak of stray converts made by Buddha from time to time, but a continuous story has been attempted in the later works like the Buddhavajsa and the Atthakathas. After the conversion of Sariputta and Moggallana, Buddha naturally turned his eyes to his homeland, Kapilavatthu. Here he permitted Rahula to join the order and asked Sariputta to give him the ordination. Among other Sakyas that joined the order were Nanda, Ananda, Devadattha, Anuruddha, Bhaddiya, Bhagu, Kimbila and the barber Upali. Most of these figured notably in the subsequent history of the religion and formed in fact the main props of the religion.

It will be observed that Rahula was ordained by Sariputta and not by Buddha and that Sariputta acted as Rahula’’s acariya. It was on this occasion that Buddha empowered his disciples to confer ordination. Buddha himself did not observe any rule for conferring ordination. After the conversion of Sariputta and Moggallana, he admitted into the Savgha a few other like Avgulimala by the words “ehi bhikku.”

It was while Buddha was staying at Kapilavatthu that he enlarged the rules of initiation, which were first introduced by him while he was staying at Rajagaha.

The sixty disciples sent out by the Teacher for propagating his now teaching had hitherto no authority confer ordination on desiring entrants and had to bring them from different parts of the country to the place where Buddha was staying at the time. This was sometimes found impracticable and led Buddha to delegate his power of

ordination to his disciples who were however directed to observe certain rules. Several restrictions were also imposed to avoid unworthy persons getting into the Savgha. The rules and restriction were generally as follows.