In fact, in certain periods and in certain regions, there has been excessive acceptance of disciples and indiscriminate ordination of Sangha. This has long caused apprehension in the Buddhist circles of China. History shows that the most flourishing periods of Buddhism have not been the times with the largest number of monks. On the contrary, periods with too many monks were usually times of the decline of Buddhism. For instance, in the early Tang Dynasty a large number of monks were dismissed. At the time of Dhammacariya Xuanzang, the conditions for renunciation an ordination were very strict. Candidates were required to pass examinations. Even Xuanzang himself had to undergo difficult procedures to fulfill the qualifications to be a monk. Yet it was precisely at that time, Buddhism came into most splendid era. The same was true not only in China, but also in other counties. In the 15th century, for instance, there was a high monk named Dhammasiddhi in Myanmar who later returned to lay society and became a king. In view of the excessive number of monks, he issued an edict ordering that all monks of the country should be reordained. Owing to his rigorous reformation, the number of Buddhist monks in Myanmar was reduced from a few hundred thousand to ten thousand or so. All the rest, unable or unwilling to meet the requisite qualifications for being reordained, were forced to leave the Sangha. Buddhism in Myanmar thus came to a renascence. This instance indicates that Sangha should not be developed unrealistically. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)