Venerable Upāliperson

Upāli was the barber of the Sākyan princes who went forth, and the Buddha had him ordained first, so that the proud young nobles would one day bow to a former servant: the Saṅgha's order taught in a single act. He became the tradition's foremost in the monastic discipline, and the suttas show why: the Buddha gave him the ten qualifications for giving ordination, for taking dependence, for being attended by a novice (AN 10.33, AN 10.35, AN 10.36), and mapped for him the grounds of schism, the roots of dispute, and the grounds of harmony in the Saṅgha (AN 10.37, AN 10.38, AN 10.41). Even his aspiration to forest lodging was gently turned: stay with the Saṅgha, the Buddha told him, where the training's comfort lies (AN 10.99).