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had the greatest standing (paryāya) to his credit. If he was asked regarding the 'kappa', then he told the name of the well-versed one in the group, or else he said that he was ready to remain under the control of him to whom he would be handed over.83
Besides the change of a gaņa, monks were allowed to withdraw for some period their membership of a particular gana. In case a monk wanted to practise the 'egalavihārapadimā' (the paļimā or monastic standard in which a monk lived alone for performing a penance), then he ceased to take part in the daily affairs of the gana, after taking the permission of the guru. On his completing the padimā, he was allowed re-entry only after confession (āloëjjā) of faults, if any.84 In case a majority of monks wanted to live separately (egayaö abhinicăriyam cāraë), then they could do so only after the permission of the elders (thera), otherwise they had to undergo suspension (cheya) or isolation (parihāra).85
Those who wanted re-entry or had come from another gana after committing moral faults, were first to undergo confession and condemnation of faults, had to determine not to repeat those faults again, to undergo a prāyaścitta for it, and then be the members of their old gana or a new one.86
The person who was punished with either the 'anavatthappa' or the 'pārañciya' could be consecrated again at the express desire of the gana (ganassa pattiyam siyā), irrespective of the fact whether that punished person had followed the life of a householder or not after his dismissal. Thus a vote of confidence in him by the rest of the members of the gana was taken to be a sufficient qualification of that person for his claim to re-entry to his old group.
Along with this power of re-admitting a person to the gaña, the right of driving out (nijjūhana) a person from the gaña was also exercised by the members of a gaña. Those who refused to atone for their offence or were of loose character were expelled from the gaña. Consideration, however, was shown to those who were ill, and they were not expelled till they were free from disease.87 Kula:
The kulas formed a gaña (ganah kulānām samudāyaḥ),88 and it seems that it was under the authority of some junior ācārya who was in turn under
83. Vav. 4, 18. Transl. as suggested by Muni KEVALAVIJAYA. 84. Ibid., 1, 25-27; 6, 10-11; 7, 1. 85. Ibid., 4, 19. 86. Ibid., 6, 10-11. 87. Ibid., 2, 6-17.
88. Aup. Comm. p. 81; according to the Bļh.kalpa., a gana comprises several sambhogas.
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