The monks generally live together in groves, gardens or monasteries. At first they led a lonely life, but afterwards they gathered together in communities. They were required to dress in simple garments of a dull orange color, first torn in pieces and then sewn together again, so that they had no salable value. They wear three robes; and, while the people of the warmer countries wear only the loin-cloth, the members of the order were required to keep their bodies covered. To “put off the robes” was equivalent to leaving the society. Personal indulgence, theft and murder would cause the monk who committed them to be expelled from the order. No monk was allowed to possess more than eight articles--the three robes, a girdle for the loins, a begging-bowl, a razor, a needle and a water-strainer. The communities of monks, however, were permitted to own property. Unquestioning obedience to superiors is never required of a monk among the Buddhists. DAILY LIFE OF A MONK. According to the “Manual of Exercises,” the daily life of a monk should be as follows: He shall rise before daylight and wash; then sweep the wihāra or residence--as the clean little hut where the mendicant lives is called--then sweep round the Bo-tree, fetch the drinking-water for the day, filter it, and place it ready for use. Retiring to a solitary place, he shall then meditate on the regulations. Then he shall offer flowers before the sacred dāgaba--the solid dome-shaped shrine in which relics of the Buddha are buried--or before the Bo-tree, thinking of the great virtues of the Teacher and of his own faults. Soon after, taking the begging-bowl, he is to follow his superior in his daily round for food, and, on their return, is to bring water for his feet and place the alms-bowl before him. After the meal is over, he is to wash the alms-bowl, then again to worship Buddha and meditate on kindness and affection. About an hour afterwards, he is to begin his studies from the books, or copy one of them, asking his superior about passages he does not understand. At sunset, he is again to sweep the sacred places, and, lighting a lamp, to listen to the teaching of his superior, and repeat such passages from the canon that he has learned. If he finds he has committed any fault, he is to tell his superior; he is to be content with such things as he has, and, keeping under his senses, to grow in grace without haughtiness of body, speech or mind. THE THREE GREAT BUDDHIST COUNCILS.