Question

Do you think it would have been easy for slaves to join the 'Sangha'? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 1

It must have been very difficult for slaves to join the sangha. According to the rules. a slave needed to take permission from his/her master for joining the sangha. But a slave was never in a position to assert his right. He was always at the mercy of his master. But in Buddhism slaves were allowed to join 'sanghas'. Those who followed Buddhism did not believe in dividing the society and Buddha taught that all humans are equal.