… Sometimes we have a tendency to disregard the Vinaya, thinking well, it’s just a bunch of rules from old times that may or may not be applicable now. But a lot of the rules have to do with this: how to behave in an economy of gifts, in a culture of gifts. Because the principle of gift giving goes way back much earlier …
… Ajaan Mun and Ajaan Sao were accused of not following
Thai traditions, Thai customs as they were eating out of the bowl,
living in the forest, being very strict about the Vinaya. But as Ajaan
Mun would say, he wasn’t interested in following Thai customs or Lao
customs or the customs of any country, any society, because those are
the customs of people …
… Not long afterward, the Blessed One addressed the monks: “Monks, even a monk who has long penetrated the Dhamma in this Dhamma & Vinaya would do well, periodically & righteously, to refute the wanderers of other persuasions in just the way Vajjiya Māhita the householder has done.”
See also: DN 2; DN 16; MN 19; SN 42:8; AN 2:19; AN 3:62; AN 3 …
… You may definitely hold, ‘This is not the Dhamma, this is not the Vinaya, this is not the Teacher’s instruction.’
“As for the dhammas of which you may know, ‘These dhammas lead to utter disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to unbinding’: You may definitely hold, ‘This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is …
… by-step training, a step-by-step activity, a step-by-step practice likewise be described in this Dhamma & Vinaya?”
“Brahman, a step-by-step training, a step-by-step activity, a step-by-step practice can likewise be described in this Dhamma & Vinaya. Just as when a dexterous horse-tamer, on getting a fine thoroughbred colt, first makes it perform the task of …
… The Buddha taught his stepmother, Mahapajapati, this multiple perspective, giving her a list of eight tests for what counts and what doesn’t count as Dhamma and Vinaya. “Dhamma,” here, means teachings, actions, and qualities that arise in the mind. “Vinaya” means the healthy, effective way of disciplining those actions and qualities. You want to make sure that your actions pass all eight tests …
… When
you’re living by the Vinaya, you have to be mindful of the rules. You
have to analyze your mind states, because an important question in the
Vinaya is often: What’s your intention? There are times when you break
the rules unintentionally, and it doesn’t count as breaking the rules.
Other times it does. Those are cases where you have to …
… The Buddha taught his stepmother, Mahāpajāpatī, this multiple perspective, giving her a list of eight tests for what counts and what doesn’t count as Dhamma and Vinaya ( AN 8:53). “Dhamma,” here, means teachings, actions, and mental qualities. “Vinaya” means the healthy, effective way of disciplining those actions and qualities. You want to make sure that your actions pass all eight tests if …
… One has been admonished by a fellow bhikkhu who cites a rule formulated in the Vinaya.
2) Intention: One does not want to train oneself in line with the rule.
3) Effort: As a ploy to excuse oneself, one says something to the effect that one will not train in line with the rule.
Only two of these factors—object and effort—require explanation …
… When the Buddha gave instructions to Mahāpajāpati Gotami, he talked
about eight ways in which you can test the Dhamma – what’s Dhamma and
what’s not Dhamma, what’s Vinaya and what’s not Vinaya – and it’s an
all-around way of looking at things. It’s a good way of protecting
yourself on all sides.
There are basically three categories. One …
… Upāli—the same
Upāli who had been the barber of the Sakyan princes—went on to
become an arahant and the foremost expert in the Vinaya.
97. Ariṭṭha is apparently referring to
sexual intercourse.
98. The first seven of these comparisons
are treated in detail in MN 54. The simile of the butcher’s ax and
chopping block is mentioned in MN 23, the …
… There’s a part of the Canon called the
Vinaya, which is the monastic discipline. This is what we’re working
on here—we’re disciplining ourselves. And each of the rules in the
Vinaya has a story. The story is there to help you understand the
rule—and you don’t obey the rules simply because the Buddha said so or
somebody else …
… This is the Dhamma, this is
the Vinaya, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’ His statement is
neither to be approved nor scorned. Without approval or scorn,
take careful note of his words and make them stand against the
suttas and tally them against the Vinaya. If, on making them
stand against the suttas and tallying them against the Vinaya,
you find that they …
… Not long afterward, the Blessed One addressed the monks: “Monks, even a monk who has long penetrated the Dhamma in this Dhamma & Vinaya would do well, periodically & righteously, to refute the wanderers of other persuasions in just the way Anāthapiṇḍika the householder has done.”
See also: DN 9; MN 63; MN 72; SN 12:15; SN 22:81; AN 7:58; Dhp 92–93 …
… The second interpretation, which for some reason the Vinaya-mukha prefers, is that these pieces are, respectively, the vivaṭṭa and the anuvaṭṭas in the upper robe.
Mv.VIII.12.2 notes that Ven. Ānanda sewed the pieces of cloth together with a rough stitch, so that the robes would be appropriate for contemplatives and not provoke thieves, but this is not a required part …
… They blame themselves, and not others, (saying,) “We
were unfortunate and without merit, in that even though we went
forth into such a well taught Dhamma & Vinaya, we were unable to
follow the holy life, complete and perfect, throughout life.”
Becoming monastery attendants or lay followers, they undertake
and observe the five training rules. In this way, Gotama the
contemplative is honored, respected, revered …
… It was that turn-around that got him interested in practicing, and
why, when he finally ordained as a monk at age twenty, he was really
upset when he discovered, after reading the Vinaya, that they weren’t
observing the Vinaya very well where he was staying. And they
certainly weren’t practicing meditation.
Which is why he was so happy to find Ajaan …
… It was that turn-around that got him interested in practicing, and why, when he finally ordained as a monk at age twenty, he was really upset when he discovered, after reading the Vinaya, that they weren’t observing the Vinaya very well where he was staying. And they certainly weren’t practicing meditation.
Which is why he was so happy to find Ajaan …
… You see this even in the Vinaya. The Buddha places a heavy emphasis on harmony within the Sangha but he never advises trying to achieve harmony at the expense of the Dhamma. If someone is advocating a position that’s really against the Dhamma, and you can’t get the person to change his or her mind, then that’s it. The Sangha expels …
… He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal.
“He abstains from damaging seed & plant life.
“He eats only once a day, refraining from the evening meal and from food at the wrong time of day.
“He abstains from dancing, singing …
AN 10:94 Vajjiya Sutta | About Vajjiya
… Not long afterward, the Blessed One addressed the monks: “Monks, even a monk who has long penetrated the Dhamma in this Dhamma & Vinaya would do well, periodically & righteously, to refute the wanderers of other persuasions in just the way Vajjiya Māhita the householder has done.” See also: DN 2; DN 16; MN 19; SN 42:8; AN 2:19; AN 3:62; AN 3 …
“When you know for yourselves … ” | The Karma of Questions
… You may definitely hold, ‘This is not the Dhamma, this is not the Vinaya, this is not the Teacher’s instruction.’ “As for the dhammas of which you may know, ‘These dhammas lead to utter disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to unbinding’: You may definitely hold, ‘This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is …
The Graduated Discourse
… It was that turn-around that got him interested in practicing, and why, when he finally ordained as a monk at age twenty, he was really upset when he discovered, after reading the Vinaya, that they weren’t observing the Vinaya very well where he was staying. And they certainly weren’t practicing meditation. Which is why he was so happy to find Ajaan …
