… This is why he had
the compassion to set out the religion, to establish the Dhamma and
Vinaya, so that people thousands of years afterwards in another part
of the world could taste these benefits. This is why the experience of
the deathless is accompanied by a sense of intense gratitude for the
Buddha—for what he did to find this happiness, and what …
… When you look at all the suttas
in the Canon, all the rules in the Vinaya: Those didn’t come from
someone who didn’t think. They came from someone who thought a lot and
knew how to think.
One of the first lessons in learning how to think is learning how to
dethink. This doesn’t mean to stop thinking. It means questioning …
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Bhikkhunīs
Rules governing the life of the bhikkhunīs are scattered throughout the Vinaya. Here we will focus on the rules in Cv.X that govern the interaction of the bhikkhus with the bhikkhunīs. The rules in this Khandhaka that affect only the bhikkhunīs and not the bhikkhus are best understood in the context of the training rules in the Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha …
… Someone once asked me how was it that the Vinaya can be seen as
something liberating—that’s one of the meanings of word, Patimokkha,
something that helps with liberation. After all, it’s rules. Well, the
rules protect you. At the very least, the community that lives by a
very clear set of rules doesn’t have to sit around and discuss
everything …
… The Vinaya-mukha, however, insists that the word night here means a full 24-hour period of night-and-day (following the definition of night in MN 131; see the discussion in the conclusion to Chapter 5 in BMC1). The Vinaya-mukha’s interpretation seems closer to the Canon, in that many of the restrictions placed on a bhikkhu observing penance deal with activities …
… He is an exponent of the Vinaya. He acts with our consent and approval. He knows, he speaks for us, and that is pleasing to us,” the bhikkhus are to admonish them thus: “Do not say that, venerable sirs. That bhikkhu is not an exponent of the Dhamma and he is not an exponent of the Vinaya. Do not, venerable sirs, approve of a …
… right view about the precepts,
about the Dhamma, the Vinaya, about the practice. These are things you
have to hold onto. And as for your sense of self, there are times when
it’s very, very useful to have a sense of self. Because when you’re
developing the path, you need to be confident that you’re capable of
doing it, and that …
… His instructions to Rāhula in MN 61 note that one shouldn’t tell a deliberate lie, “even in jest.” A passage in the Vinaya (Sk 51) tells of a monk, formerly an actor, who made a joke about the Saṅgha. The Buddha, in response, made it an offense for a monk to tell a joke not only about the Saṅgha, but also about the …
… a Dhamma and a Vinaya that have lasted now for 2,600
years and have provided a lot of help to a lot of people.
Maybe we can’t leave behind something quite so majestic, but we can
leave behind whatever goodness we can muster. That way, when we leave
the world, we leave on good terms, not out of aversion but with a …
… Let me obtain the going forth in Master Gotama’s presence! Let me obtain the acceptance!”
“Anyone, Māgaṇḍiya, who has previously belonged to another sect and who desires the going forth & acceptance in this Dhamma & Vinaya, must first undergo probation for four months. If, at the end of four months, the monks feel so moved, they give him the going forth & accept him into …
The Vinaya tells us that after the Buddha gave his first sermon,
Añña-Kondañña gained the Dhamma eye. In the days after that, the
Buddha gave more Dhamma talks. And two by two, the others of the five
brethren gained the Dhamma eye as well. Then, a few days later, the
Buddha gave the sermon that we call the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, the
Sutta …
… He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, & the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal.” — AN 10:165
Thus in ensuring that his speech is beneficial, clear (“circumscribed”), and timely, the Buddha is following the principle of abstaining from idle chatter. In knowing when it is appropriate and …
… After she washes her feet, she goes into her hut and does all the things you’re told to do in the Vinaya. She checks the bed first before she sits down on it and then she takes a pin and pulls the wick out of the lamp to put out the light. And as soon as the fire went out, she said, that …
… What if I were to, return to the lower life, enjoy wealth, and make merit?’”
evaṁ bhanteti.
“Yes, lord.”
taṁ kiṁ maññasi soṇa kusalo tvaṁ pubbe āgārikabhūto vīṇāya tantissareti.
“Now what do you think, Soṇa? Before, when you were a house-dweller, were you skilled at playing the vīṇā?”
evaṁ bhanteti.
“Yes, lord.”
taṁ kiṁ maññasi soṇa yadā te vīṇāya tantiyo accāyikā honti apinu …
… He followed the Vinaya very closely, and that required that he not follow a lot of the customs that had developed around village Buddhism in Thailand and Laos. Every time he was accused of not following those customs, he replied that the customs of Thailand, Laos, or any country are the customs of the people with defilements. He was more interested in following the …
… In terms of the Vinaya, we have our duties. In terms of our practice,
in terms of the four noble truths, we have our duties. And even the
things that we do voluntarily—when you look around and see something
should be done, and there’s nobody doing it, well, you go ahead and do
it. That’s a good trait to have as …
… Even after his Awakening, he spent 45 years establishing the teaching, the Dhamma and the Vinaya. It took a lot of work. And he didn’t do it with an apathetic attitude, thinking, “I don’t care whether it works or not.” He put a lot of effort into making it a teaching that would last. He noticed that some people would take the …
… So, what he was doing in taking the Vinaya out into the woods, practicing in line with the ascetic dhutanga practices, was radical. His justification was, well, this is what the Dhamma is. The customs of Thailand, and Laos—or of any country—were the customs of people with defilements. If you want to become a noble one, you can’t practice in line …
… They
don’t want to hear the Vinaya. In that way, the pursuit of power can
actually close off the path.
So the Buddha’s basically saying you have power within you to put an
end to suffering if you understand the workings of your own mind. This
is why we meditate. You could sit here and follow your thoughts for
the hour. That …
… He describes the comprehension of sensuality clinging, view clinging, habit-&-practice clinging, and doctrine-of-self clinging.
“In a Dhamma & Vinaya of this sort, monks, it’s obvious that confidence in the teacher is rightly directed, confidence in the doctrine is rightly directed, the completion of virtues is rightly directed, and the dearness & agreeability of one’s companions is rightly directed. Why is that …
Bhikkhunīs | The Buddhist Monastic Code, Volumes I & II
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Bhikkhunīs Rules governing the life of the bhikkhunīs are scattered throughout the Vinaya. Here we will focus on the rules in Cv.X that govern the interaction of the bhikkhus with the bhikkhunīs. The rules in this Khandhaka that affect only the bhikkhunīs and not the bhikkhus are best understood in the context of the training rules in the Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha …
Bhikkhu Pāṭimokkha | The Bhikkhus’ Code of Discipline
… He is an exponent of the Vinaya. He acts with our consent and approval. He knows, he speaks for us, and that is pleasing to us,” the bhikkhus are to admonish them thus: “Do not say that, venerable sirs. That bhikkhu is not an exponent of the Dhamma and he is not an exponent of the Vinaya. Do not, venerable sirs, approve of a …
MN 75 Māgaṇḍiya Sutta | To Māgaṇḍiya
… Let me obtain the going forth in Master Gotama’s presence! Let me obtain the acceptance!” “Anyone, Māgaṇḍiya, who has previously belonged to another sect and who desires the going forth & acceptance in this Dhamma & Vinaya, must first undergo probation for four months. If, at the end of four months, the monks feel so moved, they give him the going forth & accept him into …
