Though the Buddha belonged to an aristocratic family, his life and work were those of a democrat. He served the interests of the mass and was concerned with their happiness. He traveled widely for forty-five years, preaching to them. To carry out his life’s mission, he founded the Sangha, the Order of the Buddhist fraternity of the monks and nuns. The constitution and working of this organization was on democratic lines. All the Disciplinary Rules farmed for the conduct and guidance of the Buddhist monks and nuns are collected in the Vinaya Piṭaka. Vinaya Piṭaka is regarded as the sheet anchor of the Holy Order. It deals mainly with the rules and regulations of the Order of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunīs. As you know, for nearly twenty years after the Enlightenment of the Buddha, no definite rules especially as a grave offence (Garukāpatti) which is irremediable or incurable (Atekicchā) were laid down for control and discipline of the Sangha (Order). Subsequently as occasion arose, the Buddha promulgated Vinaya rules for the future discipline of the Sangha.
Reasons for the promulgation of rules, their various implications, and specific Vinaya ceremonies of the Sangha are fully described in the Vinaya Piṭaka. The Vinaya Pitaka, the first division of the Tipitaka, is the textual framework upon which the monastic community (Sangha) is built. It includes not only the rules governing the life of every Theravada bhikkhu (monk) and bhikkhuni (nun), but also a host of procedures and conventions of etiquette that support harmonious relations, both among the monastics themselves, and between the monastics and their lay supporters, upon whom they depend for all their material needs.
When the Buddha first established the Sangha, the community initially lived in harmony without any codified rules of conduct. As the Sangha gradually grew in number and evolved into a more complex society, occasions inevitably arose when a member would act in an unskillful way. Whenever one of these cases was brought to the Buddha's attention, he would lay down a rule establishing a suitable punishment for the offense, as a deterrent to future misconduct. The Buddha's standard reprimand was itself a powerful corrective:
It is not fit, foolish man, it is not becoming, it is not proper, it is unworthy of a recluse, it is not lawful, it ought not to be done. How could you, foolish man, having gone forth under this Dhamma and Discipline which are well-taught, [commit such and such offense]?... It is not, foolish man, for the benefit of un-believers, nor for the increase in the number of believers, but, foolish man, it is to the detriment of both unbelievers and believers, and it causes wavering in some.(Pārājika Pāli of Vinaya Pitaka, P. 23 Myanmar version) (The Book of the Discipline, Part I, by I.B. Horner (London: Pali Text Society, 1982), pp. 36-37).
The Buddhist Order of monks was organized wholly on a democratic basis or way. The nominated no successor and wanted his followers to perform all monk’s acts or ecclesiastical acts and duties according to his instruction. It was, of course, not possible for the Buddha to lay down all the Vinaya rules in anticipation of what the unrighteous monks might do to evade or misinterpret them. Hence, the Vinaya Piṭaka as it stands today for the monks, is a growth of centuries out of the basic rules formulated by the Buddha himself. But it appears that even during the life time of the Buddha, there were people who would not accept his authority. For example, His cousin, Devadatta, out of jealousy for the Buddha conspired with the king Ajātasattu and made several attempts on his life.
He also tried to create schism or divisions in the Buddhist Sangha by demanding stricter conditions of life for the Buddhist monks, such as living throughout the year under the tree, forgoing or giving up meat and fish and refusing all invitations from faithful adherents. Let me elaborate about it. Devadatta joined hands with king Ajātasattu and made a heinous attempt on the Buddha’s life by hiring a gang of ruffians (very bad person) by using a stone, and an elephant. According to Cūlavagga Vinaya Pāli (P. 359) of Myanmar version, Devadatta demanded that the Saṃgha should make the following five rules compulsory for all monks, viz, that the monks were (1) to live long in the forests, (2) to subsist on alms (3) to dress in robes made out of rags, (4) to dwell under a tree e and never under a roof and (5) never to eat meat and fish or flesh. When his demand was rejected by the Buddha, he formed newly monks from amongst the Vijjijputtaka monks of Vesāli.
There were also some monks like Udāyī, Channa, six groups of Bhikkhus (i.e Chabbaggiya) etc, who would take the earliest opportunity of transgressing the rules of Vinaya. Besides, there is a perverse tendency among some monks to oppose Vinaya rules laid down by the Buddha. Some like to live a life of ease and comfort and consequently look askance at all restrictions on individual freedom. For example, in the eleventh chapter of Cūlavagga Pāli of Vinaya Piṭaka,(P. 480), Subhadda who renounced in old age, on hearing of the death of the Buddha gave a sigh of relief saying that he would now no longer have to abide by “ do this, do not do that.
When the Buddha attained Mahāparinibbāna, he left no one to take his place as the supreme authority. In fact, before he attained Mahāparinibbāna, He told his personal attendant, Ānanda that Dhamma and Vinaya would be the supreme authority in the future; it means "Whatever Dhamma and Vinaya I have pointed out and formulated for you, that will be your Teacher when I am gone." —Mahaaparinibbāna Sutta, [D. p. 16]. During the his life time, the Buddha allowed things to be decide democratically by the Sangha and after his death too, he did not want to restrict the freedom of the Sangha by appointing his own successor. He wanted the Dhamma and Vinaya to be its guides after his death and anything which was not authorized by the Dhamma and Vinaya was to be rejected by the Sangha. When the first recital (Saṅgīti) of the Buddhist texts was made under the presidency of Ven Mahākassapa at Rājagaha by five hundred monks, there were some monks like Subhadda or Purāṇa according to Tibetan sources, Gavaṃpati, who did not approve that the words of Buddha are recorded and what they had heard from the Buddha himself.
Strictly speaking, the last two chapters of Cūḷavagga Pāli of Vinaya Piṭaka, contain a full description of the first two Buddhist Councils, held at Sattapaṇṇiguhā (cave) in Rājagaha and Vālikārāma of Vesālī. The main object of the first and two Councils was to make an authoritative compilation of the Buddha’s words or sayings. Common interest arising from personal attachment to certain persons or groups of person or created by various causes, such as association, studies, geographical regions as well as honest differences of opinion that gathered strength in course of time, probably led to formation of different sects or school at least 18 in number.
The Buddha’s sayings were maintained by different Buddhist sects according to their tradition. In Theravāda tradition the words of the Buddha and their commentaries were handed down orally from teachers to disciples or from generation to generation in its pristine purity without changing any words of the Buddha. When the first Buddhist Council was held, at the Sangha assembly, the elders (Theras) like Mahākassapa, decide to maintain the original Doctrine including Vinaya rules of Buddha by accepting three golden criteria rules. (1) Sahgha must not enact or add rules which the Buddha does not promulgate, (2) Sangha must not remove the rules which the Buddha promulgated and (3) Sangha must well maintain and practice original rules whatever the Buddha promulgate. (Pancasatikhandaka of Culavagga Pali, Vinaya Pitaka, Myanmar version p. 485)
But in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta of D.N, the Buddha apprehended that his sayings might suffer or face distortion. A century is a long time, and about a hundred years after his passing, the Buddhist different sects arose among the monks about the actual words of the Buddha and their interpretations, especially about minor Vinaya rules. We can find out the dissension among the Sangha after the Buddha’s death, the first dissension was created by Vijjan Bhikkhus of Vesālī. It was stated in the twelfth chapter of Cūlavagga of Vinaya and Ceylonese Chronicles that the second was held at Vesālī a century after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, to discuss the breach of the ten rules of disciplines (Dasa vatthu) or ten controversial points of the Vinaya or ten unlawful modifications (Dasa Adhamma Vatthu) by Vijjan monks. The main purpose of second council was to solve the deviations with reference to Vinaya rules made by Vijjīputtaka monks of Vesālī.
After the establishment of the Order for twenty years, there was neither injunction nor rule concerning the Pārājika and Saṃghādisesa offences. The numbers of Saṃgha of the early days were all Ariyas; the least advanced of them was a Stream-winner (one who had attained the first Magga and Phala) (Pārājika Pāli of Vinaya Piṭaka P. 11 Myanmar version). Therefore, there was no need to prescribing the rules relating to the grave offences (garukāpatti).
In the Verañja Kaṇḍha of Pārājika Pāli, Ven Sāriputta inquired the Buddha whether there were former Buddhas who did not promulgate Vinaya rules. Then the Buddha said that three former Buddhas called Vipassī, Sikhī and Vessabhū, did not enact the Vinaya rules. Only the other three previous Buddha called Kakusandha, Koṇagamana and Kassapa enacted Vinaya rules. Since the former Buddhas called Vipassī, Sikhī and Vessabhū did not enact the Vinaya rules, their Sāsanā disappeared very soon. Since the other three previous Buddha called Kakusandha, Koṇagamana and Kassapa enacted Vinaya rules, their Sāsanā lasted for long. (Pārājika Pāli P. 10).
In this regard, Ven Sāriputta, requested the Buddha to enact Vinaya rules. However, the Buddha rejected his request. The Buddha said that I know the time for enacting Vinaya rules. This is show that there were no Vinaya rules in Gotama Buddha Sāsanā for some time. But, as years went by, Saṃgha grew in strength. Some twenty years after founding of the Order, it becomes necessary to enact Vinaya rules relating to the grave offences. According to Verañja Kaṇḍha of Pārājika Pāli, the Buddha decided to enact Vinaya rules when Sāsanā become corrupt due to four reasons: (1) Rattaññū mahatta= when the monks live longer, they become senior in Sāsanā, they become corrupt and they arrogantly thank that the Sāsanā is theirs; (2) Lābhagga mahatta= when monks get more and more material benefits, they become corrupt; (3) Vepulla mahatta= when the Sanghas increase the numbers more and more in strength, they become corrupt and (4) Bahusacca mahatta= sometimes education makes the monks corrupted, the educated and learned monks look down the other monks. The Buddha says that he takes these four factors into consideration before he prescribes the Vinaya rules.(Pārājika Pāli P. 11 Myanmar version).
Vinaya rules for the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhunī embody authoritative injunctions of the Buddha on modes of conduct and restraints on both physical and verbal actions. They deal with transgressions of discipline, and with various categories of restraints and admonitions in accordance with the nature of the offences.
Seven kinds of Transgression or Offences (Āpatti)
The rules of discipline first laid down by the Buddha are called Mūlapaññatti- the first root of regulation; those supplemented later are known as Anupaññatti-conforming regulation; together, they are known as Sikkhāpadas- rules of discipline. The act of transgressing these rules of discipline is called Āpatti, which means reaching, or committing. Thereby, Bhikkhus incur a penalty by the guilty Bhikkhu.
The offences, for which penalties are laid down, may be classified under the seven categories depending on their nature. They are as follows:
(1) Pārājika- Defeat
(2) Saṃghādisesa- Formal meeting
(3) Thullaccaya- Great fault
(4) Pācittiya- Expiation
(5) Pāṭidesaniya- Confession
(6) Dukkaṭa- Wrong doing and
(7) Dubbhāsita- Wrong speech. (Parivāra Pāli, pp. 261-262, Pārājikaṇḍa aṭṭhakathā Vol (1) p. 132, Myanmar version, Guide to Tipiṭaka compiled by U Ko Lay, P. 21).
An offence in the first category of offences, Pārājika is classified as a grave offence (Garukāpatti) which is irremediable or incurable (Atekicchā) and entails the falling off the offender from the Bhikkhu-hood. An offence in the second category Saṃghādisesa is also classified as a grave offence but it is remediable (Satekicchā). The offender must follow the procedural rules and meeting. He is put on a probationary period of penance during which he has to undertake certain difficult practices such as Parivāsa-(spending some days according his hidden offences of Saṃgādisesa offence) and Mānatta- pleasing to the Saṃgha for his offence and thereafter he is rehabilitated by the Saṃgha assembly.
The reaming or the rest five categories, consist of the light offences (Lahukāpatti) which are remediable and incurable the penalty of having to confess the transgression to another Bhikkhu. After carrying out the prescribed penalty, the Bhikkhu transgressor becomes cleansed of the offence.
Above mentioned, we already studied when and how the disciplinary rules were laid down the by the Buddha. When Bhikkhu Sudinna, a native of Kalanḍaka village near Vesālī, committed the offence of having sexual intercourse with his ex-wife, the first Pārājika (Grave offence) rule came to be promulgated. It was necessary to lay down to deter Bhikkhus form indulging in sexual intercourse. The Buddha followed the precedent set by his previous Buddhas. Using his supernormal power, he reflected on what Vinaya rules the previous Buddhas would lay down under the certain given conditions. Then, He adopted similar regulation to meet the situation that had arisen in his present time. (Guide to Tipiṭaka compiled by U Ko Lay, P. 22).
When we critically study Pāli Tipiṭka it was quite obvious that Vinaya is the only property of the Buddha. For example, there were many discourses (Suttas) taught by Sāvakas, disciples of the Buddha. The position of Abhidhamma is also the same, e.g; the Kathāvutthupakaraṇa of Abhidhamma Pitaka was taught by the Ven Moggaliputta Tissa. But there is no a single Vinaya rule which is attributed to any disciples. Teravāda tradition stated that Parivāra Pāli was written by Ven U Pāli. In fact, this text is the collection of Pārājika, Pācittiya, Mahāvagga and Cūḷavagga Pāli. Therefore, these four books are accepted by all Buddhist schools. Parivāra Pāli is rejected some Buddhist schools. Therefore, Vinaya is wholly the property of the Buddha. That is why the Theravāda Tradition bestows more authority on Vinaya than on Sutta or Abhidhamma. The authority of changing Vinaya rules was vested only by the Buddha. Therefore, Vinaya was in the hand of the Buddha.
Sometimes the Buddha listens to the public opinion before and after implementation of Vinaya rules. For example, the rules for rainy season were imposed by the Buddha due to request of Public. They want monks to stay in their temple during the rainy season. The Buddha allowed monks to stay in their temple during the rainy season. So some Vinaya rules are enacted in democratic way and flexible for monks and nuns.
In the Theravāda tradition, I think that Vinaya and Abhidhamma are considered more important than Sutta. But historically Sutta comes first. As we know, Dhammacakka-pavattana Sutta, the Wheel of the Law, which included the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path in it, first uttered by the Buddha at the deer Park in Sarnah still revolves. Theravāda Tradition bestows more authority on Vinaya than Sutta.
The supremacy or authority of is very well maintained in Thravāda tradition. Therefore, it was said that “everything that the Buddha has said is incorporated in Vinay and Vinaya is very the origin of the words of Buddha”. Vinayo gaditaṃ sabbaṃ, Vinaya mūlanti passati. (Everything is included in Vinaya; everything emanates from the Vinaya).In fact, historically it was that everything is included in Dhamma and everything emanates from the Dhamma. However, the Vinaya is an indispensable facet and foundation of all the Buddha's teachings, inseparable from the Dhamma, and worthy of study by all followers lay and ordained, alike. Lay practitioners will find in the Vinaya Pitaka many valuable lessons concerning human nature, guidance on how to establish and maintain a harmonious community or organization, and many profound teachings of the Dhamma itself. But its greatest value, perhaps, lies in its power to inspire the layperson to consider the extraordinary possibilities presented by a life of true renunciation; a life lived fully in tune with the Dhamma.
At the first Council, Dhamma and Vinaya are mentioned as two units in the proposal of Ven Mahākassapa. (Dhammañca vinayañca saṅgāyissāma. (Cūlavagga Pāli P. 482 Myanmar version). At that council, Vinaya was first recited without giving any reason, however in the Aṭṭhakathās, the commentators came forward theory that Vinaya is very life of the Sāsanā, when Vinaya exists Sāsana exists for long time. (Vinayo nāma Buddhasāsanassa āyu, Vinaye ṭhite sāsanaṃ ṭhitaṃ). (Pārajika aṭṭhakathā vol 1, P. 11 Myanmar version). That is why; Ven Kassapa decided to recite Vinaya firstly taking this fact into consideration.
The last notable point is that Vinaya rules were promulgated by the Buddha for ten reasons or purposes for the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhunī. They are as follows:
(1) for the goodness of monks (Saṃgha suṭhutāya)
(2) for the comfort of monks (Saṃ phāsutāya)
(3) for the condemnation or control of indiscipline individuals (Dummaṅkūnaṃ puggalānaṃ niggahāya)
(4) for the well being of the well behaviour monks (Pesalānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ phāsuvihārāya)
(5) for the restraint of the present defilements (Diṭhadhammikānaṃ āsavānaṃ saṃvarāya)
(6) for the getting rid of the defilements of the future ( Samparāyikānaṃ āsavānaṃ saṃvarāya)
(7) for the faith to be generated in the unfaithful ( Appasannānaṃ pasādāya)
(8) for the increase of the faith in the faithful (Pasannānaṃ bhiyyobhāvāya)
(9) for the establishment of the Dhamma (Saddhamma ṭhitiyā)
(10) for the encouragement of Vinaya (Vinayānuggahāya).
(Pārājika Pāli P. 24, Parivāra Pāli P. 2, U Pāli Sutta of Dasaka Nipāta in Aṅguttara Nikāya, Vol 3 p. 311).
In conclusion, Dhamma (practice) Vinaya (precept, morality or Sīla) should go side by side together. Without Sīla, practice is impossible. So, when a monk fulfils fourfold purified virtue (Catupārisuddhi Sīla) viz, (1) (Pātimokkhasaṃvara sīla- virtue according to Pātimokkha) (2) Indariyasaṃvarasīla- virtue regarding to restraint, (3) Paccayasanissitasīla- virtue connected with the use of the requisites and (4) Ājīvajpārisuddhisāla- virtue consisting in purity of livelihood, he can proceed towards his main objective of realizing of Nibbāna.
Note- All Myanmar versions are used in Chattha-sanghayana version books printed by Department of Religious affair, Government of Myanmar. Except otherwise mentioned, the Pali texts used in this article are the publications of the Pali Text Society, London.
Ashin Sutācārālaṅkāra
(Double M.A, Ph.D Thesis)
Nalanda University
India
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