I wonder if anyone has any information regarding the ehibhikkhu upasampadaa
here:
According to the Vinaya Mahaavagga account (V 1:17 f), Yasa, on hearing the
Buddha admonishing his father (Yasapitaa), "was freed from the mental
cankers" (Mahaavagga 7.11/V 1:17), ie he became an arhat. The formula for
his ordination runs thus:
(A) "Come O monk! Well-taught is the Dharma. Live the holy life for the
utter ending of suffering!" (Mhv 7.14).
This is also the same formula for the ordination of his 4 friends (Mhv
9.4/V 1:19) and of his 50 friends (Mhv 10.4), all of whom only become
arhats later after the Buddha's admonitions.
The phrase "Live the holy life for the utter ending of suffering" seems to
imply that there is more to be done for awakening. Shouldn't the formula
for Yasa's ordination simply be
(B) "Ehi Bhikkhu" (Come O monk!), or
(C) "Come O monk! Well taught is the Dharma."
However, in the case of Angulimala (M 86.6/2:100 = Tha 870), he was
admitted with simply "Ehi bhikkhu" and only the Commentary gives the full
formula (A) (MA 3:334).
Perhaps formula (A) is the blanket formula for all eh-bhikkhu ordinations.
Has anyone any thoughts on this?
Sukhi hontu
Piya Tan
Lecturer & Instructor
Brahm Education Centre
Singapore
website: www.brahmec.com