Within the early Buddhist institutional structure, what precisely defines the social and religious role of a Sravaka or Upasaka?

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The Sangha was the monastic core, but lay practitioners (Upasakas/Upasikas) provided the material base. A Sravaka (hearer) formally took the Three Refuges and committed to the Pancha Sila (five ethical precepts), such as avoiding violence and theft, while continuing family duties, demonstrating how heterodox paths integrated into wider social tiers.

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