Constitution of the Buddhist Saṅgha

The book is organized into four main chapters. Chapter 1, “An Outline History of the Political Condition of Ancient India,” surveys the political landscape before and during the rise of Buddhism, including monarchies, republican states, the sixteen Mahājanapadas, and the constitutional features of republican communities, especially the Śākyas and the Lichchhavis. Chapter 2, “Origin and Growth of the Buddhist Sangha,” examines how the Buddha founded the Saṅgha, how the early monastic community developed, and how its organization reflected both religious discipline and collective institutional life. Chapter 3, “Sanghakamma,” analyzes the formal ecclesiastical acts of the Saṅgha, including procedural rules, communal decisions, disciplinary actions, and institutional mechanisms that sustained monastic order. Chapter 4, “Constitution of the Buddhist Sangha,” studies the structural and constitutional principles of Buddhist monastic governance, showing how democratic ideas, assembly procedures, legal norms, and collective authority operated within the Saṅgha. Through these chapters, the work presents the Buddhist Saṅgha as a historically grounded institution shaped by ancient Indian political culture and by the Buddha’s practical concern for disciplined communal life.