The Pratimoksa is a code of Buddhist monastic disciplinary rules governing the daily conduct and decorum of bhiksus (monks). It was established by the Buddha on various occasions out of necessity. This work discusses the historical, cultural, religious and social issues in ancient India in relation to the rationale of formulating particular precepts. Depending on the special circumstances some of the rules may be enforced or suspended. On the basis of this code the Buddhist Sangha has the authority to impose punishment on the offender which ranges from expulsion to sanctions of probation, penance, forfeiture, repentance or confession. By effectively enforcing the code of Pratimoksa and observing the fortnightly recitation ceremony related to this text, the Sangha may attain the fruition of purity, harmony and spirutual liberation. This study has made an extensive comparison of the various versions belonging to different Buddhist sects in Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Tibetan languages. As a sequel it reveals how in a period of several centuries this code had expanded from 218 rules of the Mahasanghikas to 263 of the Sarvastivadins. Viewing the text from the historical perspective one may better understand the significance of the legal, social and religious life of the Buddhist Sangha.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR W. Pachow
Dr. W. Pachow is Professor Emeritus of Asian Religioins and Buddhist Studies at the University of Iowa School of Religion, Iowa, U.S.A. Prior to this position he studied in China and India and taught at the Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, the University of Allahabad, India, and the University of Ceylon. Besides the present work on the Pratimoksa, he has the following publications to his credit: 1. Comparative Studies in the Parinibbana Sutta and its Chinese; 2. The Pratimoksa-Sutra of the Mahasanghikas, Allahabad, 1956; 3. Chinese Buddhism: Aspects of Interaction and Reinterpretation, Washington, D.C., The University Press of America, 1980; 4. An anthology of Political Compositions from Tun-huang (in Chinese), Taiwan 1965; 5. The Best Short Stories of Tagore (in Chinese), Shanghai, 1946; 6. A Translation of the Mahaparinibbana-Sutanta (in Chinese) Taipei, 1972; 7. Pa-Chow Wen Tsun: the Collected Works of w. Pachow, Taipei, 1985; 8. A Study of the Twenty-two Dialogues on Mahayana Buddhism (Enlarged edition), Taipei, 1992; 9. A Study and Translation of the Milindapanha (in Chinese), Beijing, 1997. In addition, he is contributor to the Encyclopaedia of Britanica, Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Dictionary of Ming Biography, Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions and many learned journals in Asia and America.
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