… The Blessed One has criticized being worried at the time of death.
“Now it may be that you are thinking, ‘Nakula’s mother will not reach firm ground in this Dhamma & Vinaya, will not attain a firm foothold, will not attain consolation, overcome her doubts, dispel her perplexity, reach fearlessness or gain independence from others with regard to the Teacher’s message [a standard …
… This is a recurrent theme throughout the Vinaya: that stylish, luxurious, or elegant articles are not in keeping with the bhikkhus’ way of life.
The Vibhaṅga notes that black wool here covers both wool that is naturally black and wool that has been dyed that color.
All other explanations for this training rule are the same as for the preceding rule, simply replacing “a …
… And on that occasion Sunakkhatta the Licchavi1 had recently left this Dhamma & Vinaya. He was making this statement in the Vesāli assembly: “Gotama the contemplative has no superior human state, no distinction in knowledge & vision worthy of a noble one. Having hammered it out through logic, Gotama the contemplative teaches a Dhamma that follows his reasoning, his own invention. And whenever his Dhamma is …
… Most of the humorous stories in the Canon are found in the Vinaya, the section explaining the rules for the monks. I think this is very important. It shows a very humane approach to morality. If you live under a group of rules that lacks a sense of humor, it can be very oppressive. Those rules can be very difficult to follow while maintaining …
CHAPTER NINE
Pāṭidesanīya
This term means “to be acknowledged.” As a name for training rules, it means “entailing acknowledgement.” The four training rules here are unique in that they mention, as part of the rule, the words to be used in acknowledging the violation; the second rule is especially unique in that it depicts the violators as acknowledging their offense as a group.
1 …
… 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. This is how one is made pure in four ways by verbal action.
“And how is one made pure in three ways by mental action? There is the case where a certain person …
… So now let your light shine forth, so that you—who have gone forth in such a well-taught Dhamma & Vinaya—will be their equal in forbearance & gentleness. — Mv X.2.3–20
… first three fetters, he is a stream-winner, not subject to states of deprivation, headed for self-awakening for sure… Having acquired conviction, virtue, learning, relinquishment, & discernment on encountering the Dhamma & Vinaya made known by the Tathāgata, now—on the break-up of the body, after death—he has reappeared in a good destination, a heavenly world, in company with the devas of the …
… You may definitely hold, ‘This is not the Dhamma, this is not the Vinaya, this is not the Teacher’s instruction.’
“As for the qualities of which you may know, ‘These qualities lead to dispassion, not to passion; to being unfettered, not to being fettered; to shedding, not to accumulating; to modesty, not to self-aggrandizement; to contentment, not to discontent; to seclusion, not …
… This is why the Vinaya, the collection of the monks’ rules, is so full of medical knowledge concerning medicines and other treatments for dealing with disease.
It also describes the ideal patient:
“A sick person endowed with five qualities is easy to care for. He does what is amenable to his cure; he knows the proper amount in things amenable to his cure; he …
… Fifty of Yasa’s householder friends from the countryside—sons
of prominent and moderately prominent families—heard, “Yasa, they
say, has shaved off his hair & beard, clothed himself in the
ochre robes, and gone forth from home into homelessness.”
Having heard that, the thought occurred to them, “It must not
be lowly, this Dhamma & Vinaya, nor lowly this Going-forth, in
which Yasa—having …
… DN 29Pāsādika Sutta | The Inspiring Discourse
Toward the end of his life, the Buddha describes his accomplishment in establishing, through the Dhamma and Vinaya, a complete holy life that will endure after his passing. Listing some of the criticisms that might be leveled against him and his Dhamma-Vinaya, he shows how those criticisms should be refuted.
DN 33Saṅgīti Sutta | The Discourse for Reciting …
… The Blessed One said, “In any Dhamma & Vinaya where the noble eightfold path is not ascertained, no contemplative of the first… second… third… fourth order [stream-winner, once-returner, non-returner, or arahant] is ascertained. But in any Dhamma & Vinaya where the noble eightfold path is ascertained, contemplatives of the first… second… third… fourth order are ascertained. The noble eightfold path is ascertained in …
… 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 …
… 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 …
… It also shows how the later
accomplishments of his life—teaching the Dhamma to others and
establishing the Dhamma & Vinaya so that the True Dhamma would
last a long time—were directly related to the first.
Past Lives
The suttas list “jātakas,”
or stories of previous births, as one of the
genres that the Buddha used in teaching. The Vinaya and the
four nikāyas …
… We have to be excellent in our practice and conduct, in line with such principles of the Dhamma and Vinaya as the ascetic practices. If we’re solid in the ascetic practices, we’ll gradually become excellent people in line with the principles of our practice and ultimately in line with the principles of nature—excellent not just in name, but through the nature …
… This point is reflected in the Vinaya, where the monks are instructed to keep watch over one another’s behavior. As we will see in Chapter Seven, if they suspect that a fellow monk has broken a rule, they are to approach him about the matter. If dissatisfied with his response, they have to meet as a full community and pass judgment on whether …
… what might be skillful, seeking the unexcelled state of sublime peace, I went to Āḷāra Kālāma and, on arrival, said to him, ‘Friend Kālāma, I want to practice in this Dhamma & Vinaya.’
“When this was said, he replied to me, ‘You may stay here, my friend. This doctrine is such that a wise person can soon enter & dwell in his own teacher’s knowledge …
APPENDIX FOUR
Disciplinary Transactions
The transaction statements the Canon gives for these disciplinary transactions follow closely the details of the origin stories leading up to the first allowance for each transaction. As the Commentary points out, these statements do not fit all the cases where a particular disciplinary transaction can be applied. Thus, it recommends— when imposing one of these transactions on an individual …
Advice | Beyond Coping: A Study Guide on Aging, Illness, Death, & Separation
… The Blessed One has criticized being worried at the time of death. “Now it may be that you are thinking, ‘Nakula’s mother will not reach firm ground in this Dhamma & Vinaya, will not attain a firm foothold, will not attain consolation, overcome her doubts, dispel her perplexity, reach fearlessness or gain independence from others with regard to the Teacher’s message [a standard …
MN 12 Mahāsīhanāda Sutta | The Great Lion’s Roar Discourse
… And on that occasion Sunakkhatta the Licchavi1 had recently left this Dhamma & Vinaya. He was making this statement in the Vesāli assembly: “Gotama the contemplative has no superior human state, no distinction in knowledge & vision worthy of a noble one. Having hammered it out through logic, Gotama the contemplative teaches a Dhamma that follows his reasoning, his own invention. And whenever his Dhamma is …
Deep like the Ocean
… first three fetters, he is a stream-winner, not subject to states of deprivation, headed for self-awakening for sure… Having acquired conviction, virtue, learning, relinquishment, & discernment on encountering the Dhamma & Vinaya made known by the Tathāgata, now—on the break-up of the body, after death—he has reappeared in a good destination, a heavenly world, in company with the devas of the …
