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The Literary and Disciplinary Canons of the Six Schools

Thich Nhat Hanh · February 27, 2004 · Deer Park Monastery, United States · Audio Only
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After the Buddha entered Nirvana, 100 years later, Buddhism split into over 20 sects, each with its own expanded Vinaya serving as the foundation for its Vinaya literature. To this day, only six collections of Vinaya texts in Pāli, Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan remain available for study, collectively called the canonical Vinaya literature. The second part is the Pratimokṣa sūtra (precepts sutra), a recitative text consisting of an introduction, procedures for sanghakarma, recitation of the precepts, questions, and encouragement. At Plum Village, the precepts sutra of the Dharmaguptaka school (Four-Part Vinaya) has been renewed, with 250 precepts for bhikshus and 348 precepts for bhikshunis. The third part is the non-canonical Vinaya literature (Vinaya commentaries), including commentaries and expositions such as the Samantapāsādikā, the Sutra on the Causes and Conditions of the Vinaya, and so on.

  1. The six complete expanded Vinaya collections of the schools

    • Tāmraśāṭīya/Theravāda school in Pāli
    • Dharmaguptaka school – including the Four-Part Vinaya
    • Mahāsāṃghika school
    • Mahīśāsaka school
    • Sarvāstivāda school
    • Mūlasarvāstivāda school

  2. Eleven Vinaya commentarial works and expositions in the Chinese Tripitaka

    1. Samantapāsādikā (Buddhaghosa)
    2. Śikṣāsamuccaya Vinaya-vibhaṣā (18 volumes)
    3. Sutra on the Causes and Conditions of the Vinaya (10 volumes)
    4. Sarvāstivāda Vinaya-vibhaṣā (9 volumes)
    5. Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Compendium (14 volumes)
    6. Upāli’s Questions to the Buddha Sutra
    7. Buddha’s Abhidharma Sutra (2 volumes)
    8. Vinaya Mother Sutra (8 volumes)
    9. Vinaya Twenty-Two Clarifications Treatise
    10. Śāriputra’s Questions Sutra
    11. Buddha’s Teaching on the Five Dharmas for Bhikṣus Sutra
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Winter Retreat - The Recorded Sayings of Linji

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1h 30m

The Vinaya Piṭaka: The Section on the Red Copper Leaf