While Listening to the Buddha’s First Sermon of the Five Ascetics, Have the Five Ascetics Become a Monk?

Abstract

This article aims to answer the question that while listening to the Buddha’s first sermon of the Five ascetics, have you become a monk? The results of the study concluded that before and while listening to the Buddha’s first sermon, the Five ascetics have not yet been ordained as a monk. The Five ascetics were as an anchorite. However, this called “The Five ascetics” as a monk (Bhikkus) before and while listening to the Buddha’s first sermon which was told by Ananda at the first Buddhist council with the words “Evamme Sutum” as an evidence. The author of academic Buddhism from the lecturers to the current scholars, they still use the Pali word to refer to the Five ascetics as Ananda mentioned. In other words, the word "monk (Bhikkus)", used to refer to the Five ascetics and living by asking for food from those who have faith. Moreover, Buddhist scriptures,Theravada, at all levels summarized in the same way that the Five ascetics were ordain after listening to the Buddha’s first sermon. Therefore, the author of academic Buddhism called the Five ascetics as “monks (Bhikkus)" to their current status. The evidence insisted that this conclusion was Buddhist art at the Buddha’s first sermon which showed the original status of the Five ascetics before listening to the Buddha’s first sermon as an anchorite and after listening as a monk together.