Making a will on property in Buddhism

Abstract

This paper is to study the provisions related to the Sangh’s properties in Buddhist scriptures, and to analyze the act of property-will in Buddhism personally and collectively, by mainly studying from documents. The study was found that the provisions of Sangha’ property is of rules or regulations, prescribed by the Buddha as the Buddhist offenses (Buddha-Ãnã)—the rules for Sangha’s administration generally called as ‘Phra Vinaya,’ e.g., the provision of arm-food, robe, shelter, medicine and others, which are appropriate to the ascetic’s consumption both personal and collective properties, dividing into two kinds:  1) the small materials (lahu bhandha), such as arm-blow, robe, shelter, and medicine, and 2) the big materials (garu bhandha), such as land, monastery property, monk's cell, chapel, and pavilion. Will is the last order that was intended before the death of the willer as to properties or various activities, judging that who would obtain the properties once monk dies, by mainly attaching on the will, if the will is not clearly identified, according to the law, it is judged into two cases: 1) property prior ordination—once monk dies, all properties would fall to the statutory heir, and 2) the property took place during monkhood, once monk dies, all properties would fall to the native monastery (monastery-subjection) of that monk, except the will had been made, or sold out during he was alive.