ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2, I suggested that the early Buddhist Sam ≥gha changed from a conversionist to an introversionist relationship to the world at least partly because a number of people joined the Sam ≥gha for the wrong reasons. They did not have the right religious motivation for being monks or nuns and therefore they damaged the image of the Sam ≥gha among lay people. The right image was important because the Sam ≥gha depended on the world outside for protection and for material support. In this chapter I wish to take a closer look at the metaphysical and ideological foundation of the relationship between Sam ≥gha and laity by looking at the ritual of giving to the Order of monks.
