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{{short description|Buddhist monastic rules}}
{{about|the literature of monastic discipline across Buddhist traditions|the Pali Vinaya of the Theravada tradition|Vinaya Pitaka}}

[[File:Buddhist Ordination Ceremony.jpg|thumb|An ordination ceremony at [[Wat Yannawa]] in [[Bangkok]]. The Vinaya codes regulate the various official acts of the Buddhist monastic community (sangha-kamma), including the ordination of new monks.]]

The '''Vinaya''' ([[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]]: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sanghas]] (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines developed over time during the Buddha's life. More broadly, the term also refers to the tradition of [[Buddhist ethics|Buddhist ethical conduct.]] The term "Vinaya" also refers to a genre of [[Buddhist texts]] which contain these [[Five precepts|precepts]] and rules and discuss their application, along with various stories of how the rules arose and how they are to be applied. Various lists and sets of Vinaya precepts were codified and compiled after the Buddha's death in different Vinaya texts.<ref name="Dakini">The 17th Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje. "The development of the Vinaya rules for monastics and the Pratimoksha Sutra precepts". August 2022. Transcribed by Adele Tomlin, ''Dakini Translations'', 02 September 2022.</ref> 

As one of the main components of the canonical Buddhist canons (Tripiṭakas), alongside the Sūtra and [[Abhidharma]] (Pāli: ''Abhidhamma''), the Vinaya Piṭakas contains detailed prescriptions governing the behavior, conduct, and communal procedures of monks (''[[Bhikkhu|bhikṣu]]'') and nuns (''[[Bhikkhunī|bhikṣuṇī]]''). These include rules of individual discipline (''[[Pratimokṣa|prātimokṣa]]''), protocols for communal harmony, and guidelines for handling transgressions. 

The word ''Vinaya'' is derived from a Sanskrit verb that can mean to lead, take away, train, tame, or guide, or alternately to educate or teach.<ref name="eob" /> It is often translated as "discipline", with the term ''Dhamma-Vinaya'' (doctrine and discipline) being used by the Buddha to refer to his complete teachings, suggesting its integral role in Buddhist practice.<ref name="ati_vinaya_index">[https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/index.html Access to Insight: Vinaya Pitaka: The Basket of Discipline]</ref> Thus, Vinaya also denotes the living tradition of ethical training and cultivation which encompasses inner moral discipline, and the communal process of ethical deliberation and confession within the sangha. In this sense, ''vinaya'' is not only legalistic but also pedagogical and [[Soteriology|soteriological]], oriented toward the purification of ethical conduct (''śīla'') as a foundation for meditative concentration (''[[Samadhi|samādhi]]'') and wisdom (''[[Prajñā (Buddhism)|prajñā]]'').

Over time, Buddhist Vinaya lineages split into various traditions, mirroring the development of the various Indian [[Schools of Buddhism|Buddhist schools.]] Three Vinaya traditions remain in use by modern ordained ''[[Sangha|sanghas]]'': the [[Theravada]] (Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia), [[Mulasarvastivada]] ([[Tibetan Buddhism]] and the [[Himalayan region]]) and [[Dharmaguptaka]] ([[East Asian Buddhism]]). In addition to these three Vinaya traditions, five other Vinaya schools of [[Indian Buddhism]] are preserved in Asian canonical manuscripts, including those of the [[Kāśyapīya]], the [[Mahāsāṃghika]], the [[Mahīśāsaka]], the [[Pudgalavada|Sammatīya]], and the [[Sarvastivada|Sarvāstivāda]].<ref name="Dakini" /><ref>Keown, Damien. ''Dictionary of Buddhism.'' 2003. p. 220.</ref> 

==Origins==
{{Early Buddhism}}
According to an origin story prefaced to the Theravada Bhikkhu [[Suttavibhanga]], in the early years of the Buddha's teaching the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|sangha]] lived together in harmony with no vinaya, as there was no need, because all of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]'s early [[Sangha (Buddhism)|disciples]] were highly realized if not fully enlightened. After thirteen years<ref name=Dakini/> and as the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|sangha]] expanded, situations arose which the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] and the lay community felt were inappropriate for [[mendicant]]s.<ref name=Vibhanga_intro>[https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-pj1/en/brahmali Introductory story of the Theravada Bhikkhu Vibhanga]</ref>

According to Buddhist tradition, the complete Vinaya Piṭaka was recited by [[Upali|Upāli]] at the [[First Buddhist council|First Council]] shortly after [[Gautama Buddha|the Buddha]]'s death. All of the known Vinaya texts use the same system of organizing rules and contain the same sections, leading scholars to believe that the fundamental organization of the Vinaya must date from before the separation of schools.<ref>''New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions'', page 380</ref><ref name=eob/>

While traditional accounts fix the origins of the Vinaya during the lifetime of the Buddha, all of the existing manuscript traditions are from significantly later- most around the 5th century CE.<ref name=eob/> While the early Buddhist community seems to have lived primarily as wandering monks who begged for alms, many Vinaya rules in every tradition assume settled monasticism to be the norm, along with regular collective meals organized by lay donors or funded by monastic wealth.<ref name=eob/> The earliest dates that can be established for most Vinaya texts is their translation into Chinese around the 5th century CE.<ref name=eob/> The earliest established dates of the Theravada Vinaya stem from the composition of [[Buddhaghosa]]'s commentaries in the 5th century, and became known to Western scholarship through 17th- and 18th-century manuscripts.<ref name=eob/> 
The Mulasarvastivada Vinaya was brought to Tibet by [[Khenpo]] [[Shantarakshita]]<ref>H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama, "Ordination in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition". Excerpts from ''Direct Instruction From Shakyamuni Buddha – A Gelong's Training in Brief''. 1973. Translated by Geshe Graham Woodhouse, Himachal Pradesh: Institute of Buddhist Dialects, 2009.</ref> by {{Circa|763}}, when the first [[Tibetan Buddhist]] monks were ordained, and was translated into Chinese by the 8th century. Earlier Sanskrit manuscripts exist from the 5th to the 7th century.<ref name=eob/> Scholarly consensus places the composition of the ''[[Mūlasarvāstivāda]] Vinaya'' in the early centuries of the first millennium, though all the manuscripts and translations are relatively late.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sasson |first1=Vanessa R. |title=Little Buddhas: Children and Childhoods in Buddhist Texts and Traditions |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199979929 |page=46 |quote=The Pāli Vinaya has been critically edited and translated in its entirety and will serve as a point of comparison with the Northern Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition that is the focus of this study.<br />Dating the Mūlasarvāstivāda ''Vinaya'' is problematic, since all the manuscripts and translations are relatively late. Scholarly consensus places it in the early centuries of the first millennium, probably around the time of the [[Kushan Empire|Kuṣāṇa]] emperor [[Kanishka|Kaniṣka]].}}</ref>

==Overview==
{{Buddhism}}
The core of the Vinaya is a set of rules known as ''[[Patimokkha]]'' in Pāli and [[Prātimokṣa]] in Sanskrit.<ref name=eob>{{cite encyclopedia
 | title = Vinaya
 | encyclopedia = MacMillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism
 | last = Schopen
 | first = Gregory
 | author-link = Gregory Schopen
 | pages = 885–89
 | year = 2004
 | publisher = MacMillan Reference USA
 | location = New York
 | isbn = 0-02-865719-5
 | volume = 1
}}</ref> This is the shortest portion of every Vinaya, and universally regarded as the earliest.<ref name=eob/> This collection of rules is recited by the gathered Sangha at the new and full moon.<ref name=eob/> Rules are listed in descending order, from the most serious (four rules that entail expulsion), followed by five further categories of more minor offenses.<ref name=eob/> Most traditions include an explicit listing of rules intended for recitation, called ''Prātimokṣa-sutra'', but in the Theravada tradition the Patimokkha rules occur in writing only alongside their exegesis and commentary, the Vibhanga described below. While the Prātimokṣa is preserved independent of the Vibhanga in many traditions, scholars generally do not believe that the rules it contains were observed and enforced without the context provided by an interpretive tradition, even in the early era- many of the exceptions and opinions of the Vibhanga seem to stem from older customs regarding what was and wasn't permissible for wandering ascetics in the Indian tradition.<ref name=eob/>

The second major component of the Vinaya is the Vibhanga or [[Suttavibhanga]], which provides commentary on each of the rules listed in the Prātimokṣa.<ref name=eob/> This typically includes the origin of the rule in a specific incident or dispute, along with variations that indicate related situations covered by the rule, as well as exceptions that account for situations that are not to be regarded as violations of a more general rule.<ref name=eob/>

The third division of the Vinaya is known as the Vinayavastu, Skandhaka, or Khandhaka, meaning 'divisions' or 'chapters'. Each section of these texts deals with a specific aspect of monastic life, containing, for instance, procedures and regulations related to ordination, obtaining and storing medical supplies, and the procurement and distribution of robes.<ref name=eob/> The final segment of this division, the Ksudrakavastu ("Minor division") contains miscellanea that does not belong to other sections, and in some traditions is so large that it is treated as a separate work.<ref name=eob/> Strong agreement between multiple different recensions of the Skandhaka across different traditions and language with respect to the number of chapters (generally 20) and their topics and contents has led scholars to the conclusion that they must stem from a common origin.<ref name=Frauwallner>{{cite book
 | last = Frauwallner
 | first = Erich
 | author-link = Erich Frauwallner
 | title = The Earliest Vinaya and the Beginnings of Buddhist Literature
 | publisher = Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente
 | date = 1956
 | location = Rome
 | pages = 1–6
 | language = en
 | isbn = 8857526798
}}</ref>

Parallel and independent Prātimokṣa rules and Vibhangas exist in each tradition for [[bhikkhus]] and [[bhikkhuni]]s.<ref name=eob/> The majority of rules for monks and nuns are identical, but the bhikkhuni Prātimokṣa and Vibhanga includes additional rules that are specific to nuns, including the controversial [[Eight Garudhammas]] whose authorship is not attributed to the Buddha.<ref name="Kusuma 2000 5–13">{{cite book|last=Kusuma|first=Bhikuni|title=Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming Against the Stream|editor=Karma Lekshe Tsomo|publisher=Routledge|year=2000|pages=5–13|chapter=Inaccuracies in Buddhist Women's History|isbn=978-0-7007-1219-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7tnrhwLrkGYC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A conversation with a sceptic – Bhikkhuni FAQ|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/ebdha220b.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109205458/https://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/ebdha220b.htm|archive-date=9 January 2009|publisher=Buddhanet}}</ref><ref name="ayyatathaaloka">{{cite web|author=Tathaaloka Bhikkhuni|title=On the Apparent Non-historicity of the Eight Garudhammas Story As It Stands in the Pali-text Culavagga and Contemporary Vinaya Scholarship|url=https://alokavihara.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ayyatathaaloka-8garudhammas-2009.pdf}}</ref><ref name=eob/> In the [[Pali]] tradition, a specific chapter of the Khandhaka deals with issues pertaining specifically to nuns, and the Mulasarvastivada tradition devotes most of one of the two volumes of its Ksudrakavastu to issues pertaining to nuns.<ref name=eob/>

Beyond this point, the distinct Vinaya traditions differ in their organization. The Pali Vinaya includes a text known as the [[Parivāra]] that contains a question-and-answer format that recapitulates various rules in different groupings, as well as a variety of analyses. The Chinese texts include two sections not found in the Pali tradition, the Niddanas and Matrkas that have counterparts in the Tibetan tradition's Uttaragrantha.<ref name=eob/> Relatively little analysis of these texts have been conducted, but they seem to contain an independent reorganization of the Vinaya rules that may be an earlier strata of texts.<ref name=eob/>

==Texts==
[[file:Manuscript of Vinaya Pitaka.jpg|thumb|Manuscript of Vinaya Pitaka. Lacquered and gilded wood, gilded palm leaves. Myanmar, 1856. Palazzo Madama, Torino]]

=== Theravada Vinaya ===
The Theravada Vinaya is preserved in the [[Pāli Canon]] in the ''Vinaya Piṭaka''. The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya is preserved in both the [[Tibetan Buddhist canon]] in the [[Kangyur]], in a Chinese edition, and in an incomplete Sanskrit manuscript. Some other complete vinaya texts are preserved in the [[Chinese Buddhist canon]] (see: [[Taishō Tripiṭaka]]), and these include:
* Mahīśāsaka Vinaya (T. 1421)
* Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya (T. 1425)
* Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (T. 1428)
* Sarvāstivāda Vinaya (T. 1435)
* Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya (T. 1442)

Six complete versions are extant. Fragments of the remaining versions survive in various languages. The first three listed below are still in use.

* The [[Pāli]] version of the [[Theravāda]] school
** '''[[Suttavibhanga|Suttavibhaṅga]]''': [[Pāṭimokkha]] and commentary
*** '''Mahāvibhaṅga''': rules for monks
*** '''Bhikkhunīvibhaṅga''': rules for nuns
** '''[[Khandhaka]]''': 22 chapters on various topics
** '''[[Parivāra]]''': analyses of rules from various points of view

=== Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya ===
The '''Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya''' ([[Sanskrit]]; {{Bo|t=འདུལ་བ་|w=‘Dul ba}}; {{lang-zh | c=根本說一切有部律| hp=Gēnběnshuōyīqiēyǒubùlǜ| w=ken pen shuo i ch'ieh yu pu lü | first=t}}) (T. 1442), a translation from the [[Mūlasarvāstivāda]] school, extant in both Chinese and Tibetan. This is the version used in the [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan tradition]]. It comprises seven major works and may be divided into four traditional sections.
** '''Vinayavastu''' (འདུལ་བ་གཞི་ ''‘dul ba gzhi''): 17 ''skandhakas'' (chapters)
** '''Vinayavibhaṅga'''
*** '''Prātimokṣasūtra''' (སོ་སོར་ཐར་པའི་མདོ་ ''so sor thar pa‘i mdo''): rules for monks
*** '''Vinayavibhaṅga''' (འདུལ་བ་རྣམ་འབྱེད་ ''‘dul ba rnam ‘byed''): explanations on rules for monks
*** '''Bhikṣunīprātimokṣasūtra''' (དགེ་སློང་མའི་སོ་སོར་ཐར་པའི་མདོ་ ''dge slong ma‘i so sor thar pa‘i mdo''): rules for nuns
*** '''Bhikṣunīvinayavibhaṅga''' (དགེ་སློང་མའི་འདུལ་བ་རྣམ་པར་འབྱེད་པ་ ''dge slong ma‘i ‘dul ba rnam par ‘byed pa''): explanations on rules for nuns
** '''Vinayakṣudrakavastu''' (འདུལ་བ་ཕྲན་ཚེགས་ཀྱི་གཞི་ ''‘dul ba phran tshegs kyi gzhi''): miscellaneous topics
** '''Vinayottaragrantha''' (འདུལ་བ་གཞུང་བླ་མ་ ''‘ba gzhung bla ma''): appendices, including the ''Upāliparipṛcchā'', which corresponds to a chapter of the [[Parivāra]].
*** '''Vinayottaragrantha''' (འདུལ་བ་གཞུང་དམ་པ་ ''‘dul ba gzhung dam pa''): a second, more comprehensive version of the above

=== Dharmaguptaka Four Part Vinaya ===
* The '''Four Part Vinaya''' ([[Sanskrit]]: ''Cāturvargīya-vinaya''; {{lang-zh | c=四分律| hp=Sìfēn lǜ| w=Ssŭ-fen lü| first=t}}) ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka|T]]. 1428). This is Chinese translation of the [[Dharmaguptaka]] version and is used in the Chinese tradition and its derivatives in Korea, Vietnam and in Japan under the early [[Provincial temple|Kokubunji]] temple system. In the case of Japan, this was later replaced with ordination based solely on the [[Bodhisattva Precepts]].
** '''Bhikṣuvibhaṅga''': rules for monks
** '''Bhikṣunīvibhaṅga''' (明尼戒法): rules for nuns
** '''Skandhaka''' (犍度): of which there are 20
** '''Samyuktavarga'''
*** '''Vinayaikottara''', corresponding to a chapter of the Parivara{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

===Other surviving Vinayas===
Three other Vinaya collections survive in Chinese translation. 

====Ten Recitation Vinaya====
The '''Ten Recitation Vinaya''' ([[Sanskrit]]: ''Daśa-bhāṇavāra-vinaya''; {{lang-zh | c=十誦律| hp=Shísònglǜ| w=Shisong lü| first=t}}) (T. 1435), a Chinese translation of the [[Sarvastivada|Sarvāstivāda]] version
** Bhikṣuvibhaṅga
** Skandhaka
** Bhikṣunīvibhaṅga
** Ekottaradharma, similar to Vinayaikottara
** Upaliparipriccha
** Ubhayatovinaya
** Samyukta
** Parajikadharma
** Sanghavasesha
** Kusaladhyaya{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

====Five Part Vinaya====
The '''Five Part Vinaya''' ([[Sanskrit]]: ''Pañcavargika-vinaya''; {{lang-zh | c=五分律| hp=Wǔfēnlǜ| w=Wu-fen-lü| first=t}}) (T. 1421), a Chinese translation of the [[Mahīśāsaka]] version
** Bhikṣuvibhaṅga
** Bhikṣunīvibhaṅga
** Skandhaka{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

====Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya====
The '''Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya''' ({{lang-zh | c=摩訶僧祇律| hp=Móhēsēngqílǜ| w=Mo-ho-seng-ch'i lü| first=t}}) (T. 1425), a Chinese translation of [[Mahāsāṃghika]] version. An English translation of the bhikṣunī discipline is also available.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hirakawa |first1=Akira |title=Monastic Discipline for the Buddhist Nuns: An English Translation of the Chinese Text of the Mahāsāṃghika-Bhikṣuṇī-Vinaya |date=1999 |publisher=Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute |location=Patna, India |edition=2}}</ref>
** Bhikṣuvibhaṅga
** Bhikṣunīvibhaṅga
** Skandhaka{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

==Traditions==

===Theravada===
{{main|Vinaya Pitaka}}
Buddhism in [[Myanmar]], [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Thailand]] followed the Theravadin Vinaya, which has 227 rules<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/sv/bhikkhu-pati.html|title=Bhikkhu Pāṭimokkha: The Bhikkhus' Code of Discipline|website=www.accesstoinsight.org|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> for [[bhikkhu]]s and 311<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/sv/bhikkhuni-pati.html|title=Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha: The Bhikkhunīs' Code of Discipline|website=www.accesstoinsight.org|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> for [[bhikkhuni]]s. As the nun's lineage died out in all areas of the Theravada school, traditionally women's roles as renunciates were limited to taking [[Five Precepts#Eight Precepts|eight or ten Precepts]]: see [[women in Buddhism]]. Such women appears as [[maechi]] in Thai Buddhism, [[dasa sil mata]] in Sri Lanka, [[thilashin]] in Burma and [[siladharas]] at [[Amaravati Buddhist Monastery]] in England. More recently, women have been undergoing [[upasampada]] as full ordination as [[bhikkhuni]], although this is a highly charged topic within Theravadin communities: see [[ordination of women in Buddhism]]

===East Asian Buddhism===
Buddhists in [[China]], [[Korea]], [[Taiwan]] and [[Vietnam]] follow the [[Dharmaguptaka]] Vinaya (四分律),<ref>四分律 http://www.cbeta.org/result/T22/T22n1428.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223144728/http://www.cbeta.org/result/T22/T22n1428.htm |date=2008-12-23 }}</ref><ref>解脫戒經 http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T24/1460_001.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615024107/http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T24/1460_001.htm |date=2011-06-15 }}</ref> which has 250 rules<ref>{{Cite web | title=Binh Anson - So sanh Luat | url=https://budsas.org/uni/u-vbud/vbkin139.htm | access-date=2025-07-30 | website=budsas.org}}</ref> for the bhikkhus and 348 rules<ref>(摩訶僧祇比丘尼戒本) http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T22/1427_001.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615024050/http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T22/1427_001.htm |date=2011-06-15 }}</ref> for the bhikkhunis. Some schools in [[Japan]] technically follow this, but many monks there are married, which can be considered a violation of the rules. Other Japanese monks follow the [[Bodhisattva Precepts]] only, which was excerpted from the Mahāyāna version of Brahmajālasutra (梵網經). And the [[Bodhisattva Precepts]] contains two parts of precepts: for lay and clergy. According to Chinese Buddhist tradition, one who wants to observe the [[Bodhisattva Precepts]] for clergy, must observe the Ten Precepts and High Ordination [Bhikkhu or Bhikkhunī Precepts] first.

===Tibetan Buddhism===
[[Tibetan Buddhists]] in [[Tibet]], [[Bhutan]], [[Mongolia]], [[Nepal]], [[Ladakh]] and other [[Himalayan region]]s follow the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, which has 253 rules for the bhiksus (monks) and 364 rules for bhiksunis (nuns). In addition to these pratimokṣa precepts, there are many supplementary ones.

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition of fully ordained [[bhikkhuni|bhikṣuṇī]] nuns officially recommenced in [[Bhutan]] on 23 June 2022, when 144 women were ordained.<ref>DAMCHÖ DIANA FINNEGAN and CAROLA ROLOFF (BHIKṢUṆĪ JAMPA TSEDROEN). "Women Receive Full Ordination in Bhutan For First Time in Modern History", ''Lion's Roar'', JUNE 27, 2022.</ref> According to [[Nyingma]] school and [[Kagyu]] school scholars, the full ordination lineage of bhikkhuni for nuns within the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya was transmitted in Tibet by Shantarakshita,<ref>Bhiksuni Thubten Choedron, "Brief History of Bhiksunis", Committee for the Bhiksuni Ordination in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, 2017.</ref> but did not survive the later persecution of Tibetan Buddhists undertaken by [[Langdarma|Udum Tsenpo]].<ref>Venerable Jampa Tsedroen, "Ordination of buddhist nuns", 27 May 2013.</ref> Afterwards, Tibetan nuns were ''getsunma'' (Tib. novice) nuns (Skt. śramaṇerīs) only, after taking the lay vows of [[Five Precepts#Eight Precepts|eight or ten Precepts]], see [[ordination of women in Buddhism]].

== Vinaya school ==
[[FILE:Daoxuan (Nara National Museum).jpg|thumb|[[Daoxuan]] (7th century), the founder of the Chinese Nanshan lineage of the Chinese Vinaya school]]

The ''Vinaya School'' (C. Lü zong; J. Risshū; K. Yul chong 律宗) was a significant current in the early transmission and institutionalization of Buddhism in East Asia. Centered on the study and practice of the monastic disciplinary codes (Sanskrit: ''vinaya''; Chinese: 戒律 ''jielü''), this tradition emphasized the rigorous observance of precepts as the foundational path to liberation. It became one of the thirteen major schools (shisanzong 十三宗) in China, recognized for its distinct doctrinal and institutional focus on monastic discipline.<ref name=":0">Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', p. 572. Princeton University</ref> 

Among the several Vinaya texts transmitted to China, the Four-Part Vinaya (''Sifen lü'' 四分律) of the [[Dharmaguptaka]] school gained predominant authority. Translated into Chinese in 405 CE by the Kashmīri monk [[Buddhayaśas]], this text outlined a disciplinary code of 250 rules for monks and 348 for nuns. The Four-Part Vinaya formed the textual basis for later doctrinal exegesis and monastic regulation across East Asia. The most influential lineage of this tradition in China came to be known as the Southern Mountain School (''Nanshan lü zong 南山律宗''), named after the [[Zhongnan Mountains|Zhongnanshan]] (South Mountain) region where its founder, the eminent Vinaya master [[Daoxuan]] 道宣 (596–667), resided. His authoritative commentary on the Four-Part Vinaya, the ''Sifen lü shanfan buque xingshi chao'' (compiled in 626), became the central text of the school and provided detailed guidance on monastic procedures and ritual regulations. This exegesis established the Nanshan School as the dominant tradition of Vinaya interpretation in China.<ref name=":0" />  

Daoxuan theorized the teaching of the Vinaya as part of Buddhist soteriology, with a strong emphasis on ethical action. While the term "Vinaya school" appeared in his time, Daoxuan mainly saw it as referring to the scholastic teaching rather than a sectarian division. He would have found it strange if the Vinaya was observed and studied only by a single branch. Daoxuan took a syncretic approach, supplementing parts of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya with other Vinayas and actively seeking a connection between Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna teachings. His works became the dominant and authoritative interpretation in China, partly due to Tang imperial court support. Most later commentaries focused on interpreting ''Xingshichao''. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya became the core concept of the Nanshan Vinaya school. 

Despite the prominence of the Nanshan lineage, two other major Vinaya traditions were active during the early Tang period: the ''Xiangbu zong'' 相部宗 led by Fali 法礪 (569–635), and the ''Dongta zong'' 東塔宗 (East Pagoda School) led by Huaisu 懷素 (624–697). These schools also offered their own readings and practices based on alternative Vinaya texts, though they eventually faded in influence relative to the Nanshan system.<ref name=":0" />  

The period after the fall of the Tang saw a resurgent interest in the commentarial tradition of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. [[Yuanzhao]] (1048-1116), a Northern Song Vinaya master, is a pivotal figure in this period. His reinterpretation of Daoxuan's commentaries inspired monastic revival movements in medieval China and Japan. Through the efforts of Yuanzhao and his disciples, the teaching of the Vinaya eventually acquired an institutional presence in Song China. Around Yuanzhao's time, there was a boom in sub-commentaries on Daoxuan's ''Xingshichao''. Yuanzhao became highly influential, unifying the interpretation of Daoxuan, and is designated as the Resurgent Patriarch of the Vinaya school. The institutional formation of the Vinaya school is essentially based on Yuanzhao's teaching. Yuanzhao initiated the effort to construct a lineage tracing back to India, composing the ''Lineage of Nanshan Vinaya School'' which places Dharmaguptaka as the first patriarch and Daoxuan as the ninth. Yuanzhao's teachings were characterized by a synthetic approach, notably combining the Vinaya and Pure Land Buddhism. He saw receiving precepts as the beginning of the path and aspiring to rebirth in the Pure Land as the end. He integrated Pure Land belief into the conferral ritual. He focused on jieti (戒體), the "essence of precepts", as a central concept of the school. Yuanzhao defended Daoxuan's position on the nature of jieti, linking it to the "school of emptiness" and bridging Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna teachings. Yuanzhao criticized the lack of Vinaya understanding among monastics in his time, noting that their education often neglected it in favor of scriptures, treatises, and Chan. Records from the Southern Song indicate the Vinaya school had institutional infrastructure, attracting wide patronage from lay people and the royal family. The printing of Vinaya texts in the Southern Song was a campaign involving multiple parties and patronage, demonstrating national recognition and stabilization of the school.

In modern Chinese Buddhism, Master [[Hong Yi|Hongyi]] is a key figure in the revival of the Vinaya school. He is recognized by later generations as the 11th patriarch of the Nanshan Vinaya School. Hongyi initially studied the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya but later shifted his focus to the Nanshan Vinaya school, partly influenced by Xu Weiru and recognizing its historical role in Chinese Buddhism. He vowed to promote the Nanshan Vinaya teachings that he felt had been largely neglected for over 700 years. Master Hongyi's contributions to the Vinaya school are significant. He compiled, edited, revised, and collated Vinaya texts, providing essential resources for study. He wrote commentaries and annotations on the Four-division Vinaya and the works of Daoxuan and Yuanzhao. Notably, he authored Nanshanlü zaijia beilan (南山律在家備覽) to help lay Buddhists understand precepts. He actively promoted the Vinaya through lectures and established Vinaya schools/academies to train monastics. Hongyi insisted on the importance of keeping precepts as the correct path and emphasized the Vinaya within the context of the Three Studies (precepts, meditative concentration, wisdom). He developed views on classifying and distinguishing Vinaya doctrines. While his status as the 11th patriarch faced some debate from other traditions like the Baohuashan sect, he is widely regarded as a patriarch who reinvigorated the Nanshan school.

In Korea, the tradition was transmitted under the name Gyeyul Jong 戒律宗, primarily through the efforts of the monk Jajang 慈藏. In Japan, the tradition became known as [[Risshū (Buddhism)|Risshū]] 律宗, established by the Chinese monk Jianzhen 鑑眞 (Japanese: Ganjin; 687–763). Ganjin’s transmission of the Nanshan Vinaya interpretations significantly shaped the development of early Japanese Buddhism, particularly during the Nara period. The [[Risshū (Buddhism)|Risshū]] became one of the six Nara schools (''[[Nanto Rokushū]]''), and was later counted among the thirteen schools of Japanese Buddhism.<ref name=":0" />

==Role in Mahāyāna Buddhism==
The Mahāyāna ''Bodhisattvabhūmi'', part of the ''[[Yogacarabhumi-sastra|Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra]]'', regards it an offense for monastics following the Mahāyāna to reject the traditional rules of the Vinaya:<ref>Silk, Jonathan. ''The Maharatnakuta Tradition: A Study of the Ratnarasi Sutra. Volume 1.'' 1994. pp. 9–10</ref>

{{blockquote|If he thinks or says, "A future [[Buddhahood|buddha]] has nothing to do with learning or observing the law of the [[Śrāvakayāna|Vehicle of the Śrāvakas]]," he commits a sin of pollution (''kliṣṭā āpatti'').}}

[[Louis de La Vallée-Poussin]] wrote that the Mahāyāna relies on traditional full ordination of monastics, and in doing so is "perfectly orthodox" according to the monastic vows and rules of the early Buddhist traditions:<ref>Silk, Jonathan. ''The Maharatnakuta Tradition: A Study of the Ratnarasi Sutra. Volume 1.'' 1994. p. 10</ref>

{{blockquote|From the disciplinary point of view, the Mahāyāna is not autonomous. The adherents of the Mahāyāna are monks of the Mahāsāṃghika, Dharmaguptaka, Sarvāstivādin and other traditions, who undertake the vows and rules of the [[bodhisattva]]s without abandoning the monastic vows and rules fixed by the tradition with which they are associated on the day of their Upasampad [full ordination].}}

==See also==
* [[First Buddhist Council]]
* [[Second Buddhist Council]]
* [[Schools of Buddhism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Horner, I.B. (1970). The book of discipline Vol. I ([https://archive.org/download/I.B.Horner-Vinaya-Pitaka/I.B%20Horner%20-%20Vinaya%20Pitaka%20vol%201%20-%20Suttavibhanga.pdf Suttavibhaṅga]), London Luzac, reprint.
* Horner, I.B. (1957). The book of discipline Vol. II ([https://archive.org/details/p1sacredbooksofb20londuoft Suttavibhaṅga]), London Luzac.
* Horner, I.B. (1957). The book of discipline Vol. III ([https://archive.org/details/p2sacredbooksofb20londuoft Suttavibhaṅga]), London Luzac.
* Horner, I.B. (1962). The book of discipline Vol. IV ([https://archive.org/download/I.B.Horner-Vinaya-Pitaka/I.B%20Horner%20-%20Vinaya%20Pitaka%20vol%204%20-%20Mahavagga.pdf Mahāvagga]), London Luzac. 1. publ., reprint, Oxford: Pali Text Society 1993.
* Horner, I.B. (1963). The book of discipline Vol. V ([https://archive.org/details/p3sacredbooksofb20londuoft Cullavagga]), London Luzac.
* Horner, I.B. (1966). The book of discipline Vol. VI ([https://archive.org/download/I.B.Horner-Vinaya-Pitaka/I.B%20Horner%20-%20Vinaya%20Pitaka%20vol%206%20-%20Parivara.pdf Parivāra]), London Luzac.
* Ichimura, Shōhei (2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130210114955/http://www.bdkamerica.org/digital/dBET_T2025_Baizhang_2006.pdf "The Baizhang Zen monastic regulations"], Berkeley, Calif: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, {{ISBN|1-886439-25-7}}.
* Jayawickrama, N.A., trans. (1962). [https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofbud21londuoft Inception of discipline and the Vinaya-Nidana], Sacred books of the Buddhists Vol. XXI, London Luzac. (Buddhagosas Samantapasadika, the Vinaya commentary)
* Pruden, Leo M. (1995). "The essentials of the Vinaya tradition", by Gyōnen, Berkeley, Calif: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, {{ISBN|0-9625618-9-4}}.
* Rhys Davids, T. W.; Oldenberg, Hermann, trans. (1881–85). ''Vinaya Texts'', ''[[Sacred Books of the East]]'', volumes XIII, XVII & XX, Clarendon/Oxford. Reprint: Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi (Dover, New York) [https://archive.org/details/1922707.0013.001.umich.edu Vol. XIII, Mahavagga I–IV], [https://archive.org/details/1922707.0017.002.umich.edu Vol. XVII, Mahavagga V–X, Kullavagga I–III], [https://archive.org/details/1922707.0020.003.umich.edu Vol. XX, Kullavagga IV–XII]
* {{citation |last=Singh |first=Upinder |author-link=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Pearson plc|Pearson]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |ref={{sfnref|Upinder Singh|2016}} }}
*{{cite web |title=原始佛教聖典之集成－第三節 結論毘尼藏的組織 |url=http://yinshun-edu.org.tw/zh-hant/book/export/html/3191 |access-date=2019-05-10}}

==External links==
===General===
* [http://sectsandsectarianism.googlepages.com/home Sects & Sectarianism – The origins of Buddhist Schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820011945/http://sectsandsectarianism.googlepages.com/home |date=2008-08-20 }}
* [http://info-buddhism.com/Essence-of-the-Vinaya-Ocean-Tsongkhapa.html The Essence of the Vinaya Ocean] by [[Tsongkhapa]] (1357–1419)

===Theravada Vinaya Pitaka===
* [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/index.html Translations and context on Theravada Vinaya] (Vinaya section on www.accesstoinsight.org)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141213094626/http://suttacentral.net/files/Book_of_the_Discipline.pdf The book of discipline Vol. I–VI], translated by I.B. Horner
* [https://archive.org/details/bookofdiscipline10hornuoft Translation by Isaline Blew Horner] (Scanned Text)
* [http://www.palicanon.org/index.php/vinaya-pitaka Pali Canon online: Vinaya Pitaka in English]
* Davids, T. W. Rhys, Oldenberg, Hermann (joint tr): Vinaya texts, Oxford, The Clarendon press 1881. [https://archive.org/details/vinayatexts01davi Vol.1] [https://archive.org/details/vinayatexts02davi Vol.2] [https://archive.org/details/vinayatexts03davi Vol.3] Internet Archive (Scanned Text)
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe13/index.htm Translation by T. W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg] (HTML format)

{{Buddhism topics}}

[[Category:Vinaya| ]]
[[Category:Sanskrit words and phrases]]
[[Category:Buddhist monasticism]]
[[Category:Buddhist ethics]]
[[Category:Buddhist law]]
[[Category:Pali words and phrases]]