Studies in Buddhist and Jaina Monachism

SR No.: 006567
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur
Publication Year: 1972
Total Pages: 306
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

Page 61

SECTION II
(A) THE SALIENT FEATURES OF BUDDHIST VINAYA
e.
The central philosophy of Buddha's teaching is to get ride of the misery of the world, i. e. the cycle of birth and death. This state can only be attained by threefold acquisition, namely, right way of life (sila), right meditation (samadhi), and right understanding (prajña), the first being the base for the acquisition of the latter two. Sila, in the Buddhist tradition, is popularly known as vinaya, i rules of conduct to be observed by a mendicant of the Buddhist faith. Now a brief account of such rules which occupy nearly one-third of the Buddhavacana of the Theravada school compiled as the three pitakas is being put forward with a view to acquaint the readers with the Buddhist way of life. This brief account will consist of two subsections, 'the salient features of Buddhist Vinaya' and 'its back. ground', the main points of study in the former being 'the formation of the order requisites, monastic observances and monastic administration', and those in the latter 'pre-Buddhist beliefs and practices, the Buddhist standpoint and concession alloyed to the ascetics'.
(a) The formation of the Order
The admission to the Buddhist Order is known as pabbaijā and the confirmation as upasampada, which will find a detailed discussion at the outset of the first section of the second chapter.
Buddha after attaining the summum bonum started his missionary activities with a very simple formula-'etha bhikkhavo' or 'ehi bhikkhu." The well-known Pañcavaggiyas, Yasa and his fifty-four colleagues were admitted to the order by the aforesaid formula by the Buddha himself. Very soon those devoted disciples of the Buddha brought to him a large number of persons for admission to the Faith. Buddha sensing the Herculean nature of the task, permitted those monks to receive them to the order by a formula known as 'tisaranagamanapabbaija', admission to the Order by taking threefold refuge. According to this formula, the person getting entrance into the Order, after cutting off his hair and beard and putting on saffron robes, had to accept the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha as his refuge."
1. MV. 1. 7, 19, pp. 15f. 2. Ibid, 1.11.34, pp. 23-24.