Vinaya

The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) are the rules for monks and nuns in Buddhist Sanghas. These rules help keep peace and support growth in the community. The Vinaya explains the rules, how they were made, and how to follow them.

As part of the Buddhist Tripiṭakas, the Vinaya Piṭakas gives instructions for monks (bhikṣu) and nuns (bhikṣuṇī). It covers personal discipline (prātimokṣa), keeping the community peaceful, and what to do when rules are broken.

The word Vinaya means to guide or teach. It is often called "discipline" and is important in Buddhist practice. The Buddha called his teachings Dhamma-Vinaya, meaning doctrine and discipline. Vinaya helps people develop good character, focus in meditation (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā).

Different Buddhist traditions have their own versions of Vinaya. Today, three main traditions are used: the Theravada (in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia), Mulasarvastivada (Tibetan Buddhism and the Himalayan region), and Dharmaguptaka (East Asian Buddhism). These traditions help Buddhist communities follow the Buddha's teachings.

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.

Tradition says that the full Vinaya Piṭaka was spoken by Upāli at the First Buddhist council shortly after the parinirvana (the Buddha's death).

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.

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.

Overview

The Vinaya is a set of rules for monks and nuns in Buddhist communities. Its main part is called the Pāṭimokkha in Pāli and the Prātimokṣa in Sanskrit. These rules are said together during special meetings. They begin with the most serious rules, which can lead to being asked to leave, and then list smaller mistakes.

The Vinaya also explains each rule, telling how it was created and what it means. Another part, called the Vinayavastu or Skandhaka, talks about everyday life in the monastery, such as how to join as a monk or nun and how to take care of health. There are different rules for men and women, with some extra guidance for women. Buddhist groups have their own versions of these rules, but they all share the same basic ideas.

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, and three of these are still used.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 rules for monks and nuns to follow.

Women who want to follow Buddhist teachings can 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. Some women in these areas are now becoming fully ordained nuns.

East Asian Buddhism

In China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, Buddhists follow the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. This set of rules has rules for monks and nuns to follow. Some schools in Japan follow these rules, though many monks there are married. Other Japanese monks follow the Bodhisattva Precepts. 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 must first agree to 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 rules for monks and nuns to follow.

In Bhutan, the tradition of fully ordained nuns started again in 2022. For many years, Tibetan nuns were only novice nuns. 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 rules for monks and nuns. A famous teacher named Daoxuan wrote about this text in the 7th century. Later, during the Song Dynasty, a master named Yuanzhao helped bring these teachings together. 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 follow the traditional rules of the Vinaya. If someone 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 full ordination of monastics. In this way, it follows the monastic vows and rules of the early Buddhist traditions. Mahāyāna followers are monks who take on additional vows as bodhisattvas but still keep their original monastic vows and rules.