Vinaya

The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to the rules and ethical guidelines for fully ordained monks and nuns in Buddhist Sanghas (communities of spiritual seekers). These rules were developed during the time of the Buddha and were created to help maintain harmony and support spiritual growth within the community. The Vinaya is a collection of texts that explain these rules, how they were created, and how to follow them.

As one of the main parts of the Buddhist canons called Tripiṭakas, the Vinaya Piṭakas includes detailed instructions for the behavior and daily life of monks (bhikṣu) and nuns (bhikṣuṇī). It covers personal discipline (prātimokṣa), ways to keep the community peaceful, and steps to take when rules are broken.

The word Vinaya comes from a Sanskrit verb meaning to guide, train, or teach. It is often translated as "discipline" and is a key part of Buddhist practice. The Buddha sometimes referred to his teachings as Dhamma-Vinaya, meaning doctrine and discipline, showing how important these rules are for spiritual development. Vinaya helps people develop moral character, focus in meditation (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā).

Over time, different Buddhist traditions developed their own versions of Vinaya. Today, three main traditions are still used: the Theravada (in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia), Mulasarvastivada (Tibetan Buddhism and the Himalayan region), and Dharmaguptaka (East Asian Buddhism). These traditions help keep the Buddhist communities following the teachings of the Buddha even today.

Origins

According to an old story, in the early days of the Buddha's teaching, the sangha (community) lived together peacefully without any special rules, called vinaya. This was because all of the Buddha's first followers were very wise, if not fully enlightened. But after thirteen years, as more people joined, there were situations that the Buddha and others felt were not right for mendicants.

Tradition says that the full Vinaya Piṭaka was spoken by Upāli at the First Buddhist council shortly after the parinirvana (the Buddha's death). All known Vinaya texts use the same way of organizing rules and share the same parts, which makes scholars think that the basic setup of the Vinaya was created before different Buddhist schools separated.

Even though traditional stories say the Vinaya began during the Buddha's life, all the existing written versions are from much later, mostly around the 5th century. While the early community lived mainly as traveling monks who asked for food, many Vinaya rules assume that monks lived in settled places, with regular meals provided by people who were not monks or paid for by the monastery.

The earliest known dates for most Vinaya texts come from 5th century Chinese translations. The earliest known dates of the Theravada Vinaya are from when Buddhaghosa wrote his comments in the 5th century.

The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya was brought to the Tibetan Empire by Śāntarakṣita around the year 763, when the first monks were ordained there, and it was translated into Chinese by the 8th century. Earlier Sanskrit manuscripts are from the 5th to 7th centuries. Scholars believe the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya was written in the early years of the first millennium, but all the manuscripts and translations are from later times.

Overview

The Vinaya is a collection of rules for monks and nuns in Buddhist communities. Its core is called the Pāṭimokkha in Pāli and the Prātimokṣa in Sanskrit. These rules are recited by the community during special gatherings. They start with the most serious rules, which lead to expulsion, and then move to lesser offences.

The Vinaya also includes explanations for each rule, telling how it came to be and what it covers. Another part, called the Vinayavastu or Skandhaka, deals with daily life in the monastery, such as how to become a monk or nun and how to care for health needs. There are separate rules for male and female monastics, with some extra guidelines for women. Different Buddhist traditions have their own versions of these rules, but they all share a common foundation.

Main article: Pāṭimokkha

Main articles: Suttavibhaṅga · bhikkhus · bhikkhunis · Eight Garudhammas · Parivāra

Texts

Theravada Vinaya

The Theravada Vinaya is kept in the Pāli Canon in the Vinaya Piṭaka. Other versions exist in the Tibetan Buddhist canon and the Chinese Buddhist canon. There are six full versions still around today, with pieces of others surviving in different languages. Three of these are still used today.

Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya

The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya is used in Tibetan Buddhism. It has seven main parts and can be split into four sections. It includes rules for monks and nuns, along with explanations and extra topics.

Dharmaguptaka Four Part Vinaya

The Four Part Vinaya is a Chinese version used in China, Korea, Vietnam, and early Japan. It has rules for monks and nuns, along with other sections.

Other surviving Vinayas

Three more Vinaya collections exist in Chinese translation.

Ten Recitation Vinaya

The Ten Recitation Vinaya is a Chinese version with rules for monks and nuns and other sections.

Five Part Vinaya

The Five Part Vinaya is another Chinese version with rules for monks and nuns.

Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya

The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya is a Chinese version that also has rules for monks and nuns.

Traditions

Theravada

In places like Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, Buddhists follow rules called the Theravadin Vinaya. These rules guide the lives of fully ordained monks and nuns. There are 227 rules for monks and 311 for nuns.

Over time, the group of fully ordained nuns stopped existing in these areas. Women who want to follow Buddhist teachings can still take eight or ten Precepts. They are known as maechis in Thailand, dasasīlamātās in Sri Lanka, thilashin in Myanmar, and sīladharās at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. Recently, some women in these areas are again becoming fully ordained nuns, though this is a topic of much discussion.

East Asian Buddhism

In China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, Buddhists follow the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. This set of rules has 250 for monks and 348 for nuns. Some schools in Japan also follow these rules, though many monks there are married, which does not match the rules. Other Japanese monks follow the Bodhisattva Precepts only. These precepts come from a Buddhist text and include rules for both everyday people and clergy. In Chinese Buddhism, those who want to follow the Bodhisattva Precepts for clergy must first agree to the Ten Precepts and the High Ordination rules for monks or nuns.

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhists in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, Ladakh, and other Himalayan regions follow the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. This has 253 rules for monks and 364 for nuns, along with extra guidelines.

In Bhutan, the tradition of fully ordained nuns started again on June 23, 2022, with 144 women becoming nuns. For many years, Tibetan nuns were only novice nuns who took the lay vows of eight or ten Precepts. This changed when the full ordination for nuns was renewed in Bhutan.

Vinaya school

The Vinaya School was an important part of early Buddhism in East Asia. It focused on studying and following strict rules for monks and nuns, called the monastic disciplinary codes or vinaya. These rules were seen as a key path to spiritual freedom. In China, it became one of the thirteen major Buddhist schools.

One important text was the Four-Part Vinaya, translated into Chinese in 405 CE. It included 250 rules for monks and 348 for nuns. A famous teacher named Daoxuan wrote detailed commentaries on this text in the 7th century, which became very influential. Later, during the Song Dynasty, a master named Yuanzhao revived and unified these teachings. In modern times, Master Hongyi helped bring the Vinaya school back to life in China. The tradition also spread to Korea and Japan, where it became known as the Risshū school.
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Role in Mahāyāna Buddhism

The Mahāyāna Bodhisattvabhūmi, part of the Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, says that monastics following the Mahāyāna must not ignore the traditional rules of the Vinaya. If someone thinks or says that a future buddha does not need to learn or follow the rules of the Vehicle of the Śrāvakas, they are breaking an important rule.

Louis de La Vallée-Poussin wrote that the Mahāyāna depends on the traditional full ordination of monastics. In this way, it follows the monastic vows and rules of the early Buddhist traditions perfectly. Mahāyāna followers are monks from different traditions who take on additional vows as bodhisattvas but still keep their original monastic vows and rules from the day they were fully ordained.