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*This list is a simplification. It is likely that the development of Buddhist schools was not linear. |
ThePratimokṣa (Sanskrit:प्रातिमोक्ष,romanized: prātimokṣa) is a list of rules (contained within thevinaya) governing the behaviour of Buddhist monastics (monks orbhikṣus and nuns orbhikṣuṇīs).Prati means "towards" andmokṣa means "liberation" from cyclic existence (saṃsāra).
It became customary to recite these rules once a fortnight at a meeting of thesangha during whichconfession would traditionally take place. A number of prātimokṣa codes are extant, including those contained in theTheravāda,Mahāsāṃghika,Mahīśāsaka,Dharmaguptaka,Sarvāstivāda andMūlasarvāstivādavinayas.[1] Pratimokṣa texts may also circulate in separatepratimokṣa sūtras, which are extracts from their respective vinayas.
The Pratimokṣa belongs to theVinaya of the Buddhist doctrine and is seen as the very basis of Buddhism. On the basis of the Prātimokṣa there exist inMahayana Buddhism two additional set of vows: TheBodhisattva vows and theVajrayana vows. If these two sets of vows are not broken, they are regarded as carrying over to future lives.
The Pratimokṣa is traditionally a section of the Vinaya. The Theravada Vinaya is preserved in thePāli Canon in theVinaya Piṭaka. The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya is preserved in both theTibetan Buddhist canon in theKangyur, in a Chinese edition, and in an incomplete Sanskrit manuscript. Some other complete Vinaya texts are preserved in theChinese Buddhist canon (see:Taishō Tripiṭaka), and these include:
TheDharmaguptaka sect are known to have rejected the authority of theSarvāstivāda pratimokṣa rules on the grounds that the original teachings of the Buddha had been lost.[2]
ThePatimokkha is thePali equivalent of Pratimokṣa (Sanskrit). It is being followed by the monks of theTheravada lineage (Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos). It consists of 227 rules for fully ordained monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhunis). The Patimokkha is contained in theSuttavibhanga, a division of the Vinaya Pitaka.
Buddhist traditions in East Asia typically follow theDharmaguptaka Vinaya lineage of the pratimokṣa, and this is standard for the following Buddhist traditions:
Some traditions ofBuddhism in Japan and Korea also carry out full monastic ordination, but most do not. Instead, these traditions have priests and monastics who take theBodhisattva Precepts instead of the traditional pratimokṣa vows.
The pratimokṣa of theMulasarvastivada lineage followed inTibetan Buddhism is taken for life unless one or more of the four root vows are broken. In Tibetan Buddhism, there are eight types of Pratimokṣa vows:
The lay pratimokṣa consists of five vows that are also known as the FiveŚīlas:
One is not obliged to take all five vows. The commentaries describe seven types of lay followers:
Only full monks and full nuns are seen as full members of the Buddhist monastic order. A group of four fully ordained monastics is seen as asangha. The prātimokṣa tells also how to purify faults, how to solve conflicts, and deal with various situations which can happen in the sangha.
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