Vows and Vinaya in Japanese Buddhism

The Watercooler
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There are some new works on vows and vinaya in Japanese Buddhism, which is why I made an overview of the texts.

The Samaya code: esotericization of Buddhist precepts in Japan by Klaus Leon Roger A. Pinte
https://backoffice.biblio.ugent.be/download/5332680/5332701
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294262863_The_Samaya_code_esotericization_of_Buddhist_precepts_in_Japan

Shingon Risshū : esoteric Buddhism and Vinaya orthodoxy in Japan by Klaus Pinte

Mūlasarvāstivāda School in Japan by Vira Avalokita​, Sthera

An Annotated Translation of Kūkai’s Sanmayakai jo, Including the Himitsu sanmaya bukkai gi by Thomas Eijō Dreitlein

“Miscellaneous Musings on Mūlasarvāstivāda Monks: The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Revival in Tokugawa Japan.”
https://www.academia.edu/24783761/_Miscellaneous_Musings_on_Mūlasarvāstivāda_Monks_The_Mūlasarvāstivāda_Vinaya_Revival_in_Tokugawa_Japan_

Jiun (慈雲) (August 24, 1718 – January 22, 1805) was a late-Edo period Shingon monk. He emphasized the Vinaya and advocated “Shōbōritsu” (正法律, True Law Vinaya). Founder of Unden Shintō (雲伝神道).
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Jiun_Onkō

Anraku Ritsu: Genealogies of the Tendai Vinaya. Revival in Early Modern Japan by William m. BodiFord
https://otani.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/9689/files/EB49-1%262-11.pdf

Precepts, Ordinations, and Practice in Medieval Japanese Tendai By Paul Groner

The Zen of Books and Practice: The Life of Menzan Zuihō and His Reformation of Sōtō Zen by David Riggs

Are Sōtō Zen Precepts for Ethical Guidance or Ceremonial Transformation? Menzan’s Attempted Reforms and Contemporary Practices by David E. Riggs
https://terebess.hu/zen/menzan.html

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What is your take on these texts? Can you give an overview of how these Japanese texts align with and differ from the Theravada texts?

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Boy, is it all tremendously complicated! :grin:

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Thanks for your follow-up question. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert in the field, and in the various Japanese Buddhist traditions like Shingon, Tendai, Zen, etc., there isn’t a uniform regulation, and even within a tradition, there are usually still a lot of different sub-schools, who live by their own rules and vows. Most Japanese monks and nuns aren’t ordained according to the Vinaya rules, but over history, there have probably still been a small number of monks and maybe nuns who were ordained according to the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya or the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya and also live by it. These can be found in the so-called Risshu tradition.

Wikipedia

Risshū (律宗), also Ritsu-shu, is one of the six schools of Nara Buddhism in Japan, noted for its use of the Vinaya textual framework of the Dharmaguptaka, one of the early schools of Buddhism; Risshū is the Japanese term for Vinaya. The Ritsu school was formally established in China during the Tang dynasty by Daoxuan, founder of the Nanshan Vinaya school. Daoxuan completed the scholastic system of Vinaya studies with his Commentary on the Four-Part Vinaya (四分律行事鈔). He belonged to the lineage of Huiguang (468–537), a disciple of the Dilun school, and trained prominent monks such as Wengang, Zhuxiu, Daoshi, and Hongjing.
The school was transmitted to Japan by the blind Chinese priest Jianzhen, better known by his Japanese name Ganjin, in 753 after multiple failed voyages. At the request of Japanese monks, he brought the Four-Part Vinaya (四分律 (Shibunritsu)), establishing an ordination platform at Tōdai-ji where he ordained the Retired Emperor Shōmu and Empress Kōken, among others. He later founded Tōshōdai-ji in Nara, which became the head temple of the sect. Although the Vinaya had been introduced to Japan at an early stage, the teachings were fragmentary and understood only within a few temples. Formal ordination ceremonies were not conducted until the arrival of Jianzhen (Ganjin), whose transmission marked the first full ordinations in Japan. He re-ordained monks who had previously received what were considered unorthodox initiations. During the Heian period, however, leading figures such as Saichō and Kūkai did not support the Risshū. Saichō established an independent ordination platform at Enryaku-ji, while Kūkai emphasized the Shisong lü (十誦律, “Ten Recitations Vinaya”) but still conducted ordinations at Tōdai-ji. This diversity of approaches led to fragmentation, and over time ordination came to be regarded more as a bureaucratic step for becoming an official monk rather than a meaningful spiritual practice. From the late Heian into the Kamakura period, reform-minded monks such as Jitsuhan and Myōe called for a revival of the Vinaya. In 1236, Kakujō, Yūgon, Ensei, and Eison carried out self-ordination ceremonies independent of state control. Kakujō restored Tōshōdai-ji as a center of the Risshū, while Eison founded the Shingon Risshu at Saidai-ji, drawing on the Shisong lü. Around the same time, Shunjō of Sennyū-ji returned from the Southern Song dynasty with a new Vinaya lineage, later known as the “Beijing Vinaya.” These developments gave rise to three coexisting branches: the Tōshōdai-ji lineage, the Saidai-ji Shingon Vinaya, and Shunjō’s Beijing Vinaya. Collectively referred to as the “New Vinaya” (新義律), they were distinguished from the older tradition, or “Old Vinaya” (古義律). Through their debates and exchanges, Vinaya practice in Japan deepened and gained new vitality. In the medieval period, the combination of Zen and Vinaya practice, known as “Zen-Vinaya” (禅律), was held in high regard. Yet during the Muromachi period, the Risshū once again declined under the dominance of Zen Buddhism. In the Edo period, however, monks such as Meinin, Yūson, Keiun Ryōkai, Tokumon Fujaku, and Shinshun spearheaded renewed efforts to restore the Vinaya.

Some Vinaya text in the japanese Taisho Canon:

T18n0898 Vinaya Sutra (Fo Shuo Pi Nai Ye Jing) 佛說毘奈耶經]

Volume T22 Vinaya Section 律部
Volume 22 No. T22n1421-T22n1434. Popular titles: T 1425 摩訶僧祇律 Mahāsaṅghikavinaya, T 1428 四分律 Dharmaguputakavinaya (Four Part Vinaya)
T22n1421 Mahīśāsakavinaya 《彌沙塞部和醯五分律》
T22n1422a Mi Sha Sai Wu Fen Jie Ben 《彌沙塞五分戒本》
T22n1422b Wu Fen Jie Ben 《五分戒本》
T22n1423 Wu Fen Biqiuni Jie Ben 《五分比丘尼戒本》
T22n1424 Mahīśāsakakarman (Mi Sha Sai Jiemo Ben) 《彌沙塞羯磨本》
T22n1425 Mahāsaṅghikavinaya (Mohesengzhi Lu) 《摩訶僧祇律》
T22n1426 Mohesengzhi Lu Da Biqiu Jie Ben 《摩訶僧祇律大比丘戒本》
T22n1427 Mahāsaṅghabhikṣuṇivinaya (Mohe Sengzhi Biqiuni Jie Ben) 《摩訶僧祇比丘尼戒本》
T22n1428 Dharmaguputakavinaya (Si Fen Lu) 《四分律》
T22n1429 Si Fen Lu Biqiu Jie Ben 《四分律比丘戒本》
T22n1430 Si Fen Seng Jie Ben 《四分僧戒本》
T22n1431 Si Fen Biqiuni Jie Ben 《四分比丘尼戒本》
T22n1432 Tan Wu De Lu Bu Za Jiemo 《曇無德律部雜羯磨》
T22n1433 Jiemo 《羯磨》
T22n1434 Dharmaguptabhikṣuṇīkarman (Si Fen Biqiuni Jiemo Fa) 《四分比丘尼羯磨法》

Volume T23 Vinaya Section 律部
Volume 23 No. T23n1435-T23n1447. Popular titles: T 1435 十誦律 Sarvāstivādavinaya (Shi Song Lu)
T23n1435 Sarvāstivādavinaya (Shi Song Lu) 《十誦律》
T23n1436 Sarvāstivādaprātimokṣasūtra (Shi Song Biqiu Boluo Ti Mu Cha Jie Ben) 《十誦比丘波羅提木叉戒本》
T23n1437 SarvāstivādaBhikṣunīprātimokṣasūtra (Shi Song Biqiuni Boluo Ti Mu Cha Jie Ben) 《十誦比丘尼波羅提木叉戒本》
T23n1438 Da Shamen Bai Yi Jiemo Fa 《大沙門百一羯磨法》
T23n1439 Shi Song Jiemo Biqiu Yao Yong 《十誦羯磨比丘要用》
T23n1440 Sarvāstivādavinayavibhāṣā (Sapoduopinipiposha) 《薩婆多毘尼毘婆沙》
T23n1441 Sarvāstivādavinayamātṛkā (Sapoduo Bu Pi Ni Mo De Lei Jia) 《薩婆多部毘尼摩得勒伽》
T23n1442 Mūlasarvāstivādavinayavibhaṅga (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶》
T23n1443 Mūlasarvāstivādabhikṣuṇīvinayavibhaṅga (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Bi Chu Ni Pi Nai Ye) 《根本說一切有部苾芻尼毘奈耶》
T23n1444 Vinayavastu – Going Forth (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Chujia Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶出家事》
T23n1445 Vinayavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Anju Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶安居事》
T23n1446 Vinayavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Suiyi Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶隨意事》
T23n1447 Vinayavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Pige Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶皮革事》

Volume T24 Vinaya Section 律部
Volume 24 No. T24n1448- T24n1504
T24n1448 Vinayavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Yao Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶藥事》
T24n1449 Vinayavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Jie Chi Na Yi Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶羯恥那衣事》
T24n1450 Vinayavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Po Seng Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶破僧事》
T24n1451 Mūlasarvāstivādavinayakṣudrakavastu (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Za Shi) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶雜事》
T24n1452 Mūlasarvāstivādanidānamātṛkā (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Nituona Mu De Jia) 《根本說一切有部尼陀那目得迦》
T24n1453 Mūlasarvāstivāda-ekaśatakarman (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Bai Yi Jiemo) 《根本說一切有部百一羯磨》
T24n1454 Mūlasarvāstīvādapratimokṣasūtra (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Jie Jing) 《根本說一切有部戒經》
T24n1455 Mūlasarvāstivādabhikṣuṇīprātimokṣasūtra (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Bi Chu Ni Jie Jing) 《根本說一切有部苾芻尼戒經》
T24n1456 Mūlasarvāstivādavinayanidānamātṛkākārikā (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Nituona Mu De Jia She Song) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶尼陀那目得迦攝頌》
T24n1457 Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Lue Pi Nai Ye Za Shi She Song 《根本說一切有部略毘奈耶雜事攝頌》
T24n1458 Mūlasarvāstivādavinayayasangraha (Genben Sapoduo Bu Lu She) 《根本薩婆多部律攝》
T24n1459 Mūlasarvāstivādavinayakārikā (Genben Shuo Yiqie You Bu Pi Nai Ye Song) 《根本說一切有部毘奈耶頌》
T24n1460 Sutra on the Precepts for Liberation (Jietuo Jie Jing) 《解脫戒經》
T24n1461 Lu Ershi Er Mingliao Lun 《律二十二明了論》
T24n1462 Samantapāsādikā (Shan Jian Lu Pi Po Sha) 《善見律毘婆沙》
T24n1463 Pi Ni Mu Jing 《毘尼母經》
T24n1464 Bi Nai Ye 《鼻奈耶》
T24n1465 Śariputraparipṛcchā (Shelifu Wen Jing) 《舍利弗問經》
T24n1466 Upālipariprcchā (Youboli Wen Fojing) 《優波離問佛經》
T24n1467a Fo Shuo Fan Jie Zuibao Qing Zhong Jing 《佛說犯戒罪報輕重經》
T24n1467b Fo Shuo Fan Jie Zuibao Qing Zhong Jing 《佛說犯戒罪報輕重經》
T24n1468 Fo Shuo Mulian Suo Wen Jing 《佛說目連所問經》
T24n1469 Fo Shuo Jiaye Jinjie Jing 《佛說迦葉禁戒經》
T24n1470 Da Biqiu San Qian Weiyi 《大比丘三千威儀》
T24n1471 Shami Shi Jie Fa Bing Weiyi 《沙彌十戒法并威儀》
T24n1472 Shami Weiyi 《沙彌威儀》
T24n1473 Fo Shuo Shami Shi Jie Yi Ze Jing 《佛說沙彌十戒儀則經》
T24n1474 Shamini Jie Jing 《沙彌尼戒經》
T24n1475 Shamini Li Jie Wen 《沙彌尼離戒文》
T24n1476 Fo Shuo Youposai Wu Jie Xiang Jing 《佛說優婆塞五戒相經》
T24n1477 Fo Shuo Jie Xiao Zai Jing 《佛說戒消災經》
T24n1478 Da’aidao Biqiuni Jing 《大愛道比丘尼經》
T24n1479 Fo Shuo Bi Chu Wu Fa Jing 《佛說苾芻五法經》
T24n1480 Fo Shuo Bi Chu Jiashi Jia Shi Fa Jing 《佛說苾芻迦尸迦十法經》
T24n1481 Fo Shuo Wu Kongbu Shi Jing 《佛說五恐怖世經》
T24n1482 Fo Apitan Jing Chujia Xiang Pin 《佛阿毘曇經出家相品》
T24n1483a Fo Shuo Mulian Wen Jie Lu Zhong Wu Bai Qing Zhong Shi 《佛說目連問戒律中五百輕重事》
T24n1483b Fo Shuo Mulian Wen Jie Lu Zhong Wu Bai Qing Zhong Shi Jing 《佛說目連問戒律中五百輕重事經》
T24n1484 Brahmajālasūtra (Fan Wang Jing) 《梵網經》
T24n1485 Pusa Yingluo Ben Ye Jing 《菩薩瓔珞本業經》
T24n1486 Shou Shishan Jie Jing 《受十善戒經》
T24n1487 Fo Shuo Pusa Nei Jie Jing 《佛說菩薩內戒經》
T24n1488 Upāsakāśīlasūtra (Youposai Jie Jing) 《優婆塞戒經》
T24n1489 Paramārthasaṃvṛtisatyanirdeśa (Qing Jing Pi Ni Fangguang Jing) 《清淨毘尼方廣經》
T24n1490 Paramārthasaṃvṛtisatyanirdeśa (Ji Tiao Yin Suo Wen Jing) 《寂調音所問經》
T24n1491 Karmāvaraṇapratipraśrabdhi (Pusa Cang Jing) 《菩薩藏經》
T24n1492 Sariputra Repentance Sūtra (Fo Shuo Shelifu Huiguo Jing) 《佛說舍利弗悔過經》
T24n1493 Karmāvaraṇapratipraśrabdhi (Dasheng San Ju Chanhui Jing) 《大乘三聚懺悔經》
T24n1494 Karmāvaraṇaviśuddhisūtra (Fo Shuo Jing Yezhang Jing) 《佛說淨業障經》
T24n1495 Shan Gongjing Jing 《善恭敬經》
T24n1496 Fo Shuo Zheng Gongjing Jing 《佛說正恭敬經》
T24n1497 Fo Shuo Dasheng Jie Jing 《佛說大乘戒經》
T24n1498 Fo Shuo Ba Zhong Zhang Yang Gongde Jing 《佛說八種長養功德經》
T24n1499 Pusa Jie Jiemo Wen 《菩薩戒羯磨文》
T24n1500 Pusa Jie Ben 《菩薩戒本》
T24n1501 Pusa Jie Ben 《菩薩戒本》
T24n1502 Pusa Shou Zhai Jing 《菩薩受齋經》
T24n1503 Youposai Wu Jie Weiyi Jing 《優婆塞五戒威儀經》
T24n1504 Pusa Wu Fa Chanhui Wen 《菩薩五法懺悔文》

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The basic text is the Shibun-ritsu (四分律; roughly “The Vinaya in Four Parts,” with the Vinaya being the collection of rules of conduct for monks), a translation of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya of the Indian Dharmagupta school made by Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian in 412/413 (in Japanese, Bustudayasha or Kakumyō and Jiku Butsunen). Its four parts detail, among other things, both the causes and consequences of misconduct by monks and nuns as well as the appropriate punishments for such behavior.
The second basic text was the Shibun-ritsu-gyōji-shō (四分律行事鈔), a commentary on the Shibun-ritsu by Dao Xuan.
In Shingon-Ritsu, in addition to the Shibun-ritsu, the Bonmōkyō (梵網經, the Brahmajāla-sūtra), the Yugaron (瑜伽論, the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra), the Sarvastivada rulebooks, and Dao Xuan’s three main writings were also used.

some more papers:
Daigan Lee Matsunaga und Alicia Orloff Matsunaga: Foundation of Japanese Buddhism; Vol. I; The aristocratic age. Buddhist Books International, Los Angeles und Tokio 1974. ISBN 0-914910-25-6.

Daigan Lee Matsunaga und Alicia Orloff Matsunaga: Foundation of Japanese Buddhism; Vol. II; The mass movement (Kamakura & Muromachi periods). Buddhist Books International, Los Angeles und Tokio 1976. ISBN 0-914910-27-2.

Gregor Paul: Philosophie in Japan : von den Anfängen bis zur Heian-Zeit ; eine kritische Untersuchung. Iudicium, München 1993. ISBN 3-89129-426-3.

László Hankó: Der Ursprung der japanischen Vinaya-Schule Risshu und die Entwicklung ihrer Lehre und Praxis. Cuvillier, Göttingen 2003. ISBN 3-89873-620-2.

Schule_Risshu_und_die_Entwicklung_ihrer_Lehre_und_Praxis_Laszlo_Hanko

From Gyonen 凝然 to Hirakawa Akira 平川彰: a Cursory Survey of the History of Japanese Vinaya Studies with a Focus on the Term Koritsu 広律

Bunyiu Nanjio (1886). A Short History of the Twelve Japanese Buddhist Sects

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Though I am no specialist in the field touched upon here, it’s obvious that Volker gathered a number of interesting sources and Adutiya asked a thought-provoking question, so a big thank you is due to both of them.

Now, the thoughts provoked by said inquiry are best expressed in the form of another question: What is meant by “the Theravada texts” – only the normative Vinaya or does it include for the monks e.g. the katikāvatas and for laymen books like the Upāsakajanālaṅkāra? If the former is intended, important “real life” material is excluded in addition to the multitude of Vinaya commentaries and sub-commentaries none of which qualifies as Early Buddhist Texts. And in case one really wants to concentrate on the Vinaya, then why only on the Pāli version which is simply one of the vinayas transmitted by the Indian schools or nikāyas? At the moment, I am not aware that anyone can prove the Pāli recension to be the “original” promulgated by the Buddha or the “earliest” or the “most correct” or whatever.

This leads me to the second point, my reason to refer to Volker’s collection of papers and books as “interesting.” We are living in a world vastly different from the various regions in South Asia (including its highly important North-Western spheres) where the vinayas were compiled and edited, a situation we actually share with the Buddhists in eight or ninth century Japan, for example. What the Indian scholars produced must have been, I assume, in their minds workable, at least in a prescriptive sense, within the conditions under which they lived, including the natural environment, the climate, culture, society, technology etc. Thus by their very nature, these texts are the result of conditioned arising.

Now, wouldn’t it be a nice idea to try to understand how people living in totally different circumstances, let’s say the Japanese islands in mediaeval East Asia, tried to be or become “good children of the Buddha”? We are basically sitting in the same boat. Of course, much of what the Japanese were concerned with in terms of reasonable behaviour (sīla) was informed by the bodhisattva tradition which may not resonate well with Early Buddhist Texts, but still they got also the Vinaya transmitted through their Chinese/Korean connections.

Anyway, just some random thoughts.

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Thanks for your comment and additions. I’m also not an expert in the field. I shared the information because there was already a post about vows and vinaya in Tibetan Buddhism but no information about vows and vinaya in Japan yet. The Buddhist transmission in Japan is also a bit older than the transmission in Tibet and spread through Buddhism in China and Korea, but it also developed its own path. The teachings of Theravada and the Pali canon were probably not transmitted, and the vinaya tradition follows the Dharmagupta and Mulasarvastivadin traditions, with the Mulasarvastivadin being a small minority.

Four Part Vinaya Pinyin: Sìfēn lǜ, Wade-Giles: Ssu-fen lu,
Hangul: 사분율, Korean MC: Sabun yul, Korean MR: Sabun yul,
Katakana: シブンリツ, Hepburn: Shibun ritsu
Or Vinaya of the Four Categories. (Skt. *Dharmaguptaka-vinaya, *Cāturvargīya-vinaya) The Sifen lu; 60 volumes, T 1428, K 896. The influential Vinaya text transmitted from the Dharmagupta school 法藏部. Translated by Buddhayaśas 佛陀耶舍 (408–413 CE) and Fonian 竺佛念 (412–413 CE). Related Vinaya texts include T 1429–1434. Along with the Sarvâstivāda vinaya 十誦律 (T 1435), the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya 五分律 (T 1421) and the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya 摩訶僧祇律 (T 1425), one of the four major Vinaya works transmitted to East Asia. This work investigates the origins and causes by which the prātimokṣas 波羅提木叉 enumerate the offenses of the precepts of the bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs—especially distinguishing the reasons for the lightness and heaviness of punishments. There is also detailed explanation consisting of two parts (skandhaka) dealing with various concrete regulations concerning activities of everyday life, of ceremonies, rules of behavior. These are divided along the lines of stopping of evil 止惡, and the cultivation of goodness 作善. These explanations are given in four parts, from which the text derives its name.
For the monks: the four grave offenses 四波羅夷法, the thirteen crimes against the saṃgha 十三僧殘, the two indeterminates 二不定法, the thirty offenses requiring expatiation and forfeiture 三十捨墮法, the ninety offenses requiring expatiation 九十單墮法, the four offenses regarding meals 四提舍尼法, the hundred admonishments for polishing conduct 衆學法, and the seven methods for resolving disputes 七滅諍法.
For the nuns: the eight grave offenses (尼律)八波羅夷法, the seventeen crimes against the saṃgha (尼律)十七僧殘法, the thirty offenses requiring expatiation and forfeiture (尼律)三十捨墮法, the 178 offenses requiring only expatiation (尼律)百七十八單墮法, the eight offenses regarding meals (尼律)八提舍尼法, the hundred methods of polishing behavior (尼律)百衆學法, the seven methods of resolving disputes (尼律)七滅諍法. From here, the text is divided into explanatory sections, called skandhaka 犍度. These sections deal with the following items, extending through the remaining sections of the text: ordination 受戒, teaching the precepts 說戒, and retreats 安居.
The third part continues with these explanations, including teachings regarding self-indulgence 自恣, regulations on the use of leather goods 皮革, clothing 衣, medicines 藥, handling of clothing during the retreat 迦締那衣, struggles between persons 拘睒彌, admonitions of improper behavior 瞻波, rebuking quarrelsome monks 呵責, correction of minor crimes 人, remedies for those who conceal their crimes 覆藏, dealing with offenses not treated at the uposatha 遮, the destruction of the saṃgha 破僧, resolution of disputes 滅諍, reception of the nuns precepts 比丘尼, ritual performances 法
residence, boarding, bedding, etc. 房舍, miscellany 雜 (tools, implements and so forth), precepts theory 集法 (history of the development of the precepts and so forth), treatment of special occurrences 調部, technical terminology 毘尼增一. Although the number of precepts are generally explained to be 250 for monks in Buddhism, it is actually only this text that teaches that number—along with 348 for nuns.
Important commentaries include T 1804 (四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔), 1805 (四分律行事鈔資持記). [Derived from the entry in the Daizōkyō Jiten by 中根洋雅. ] [resp. Charles Muller; source(s): Soothill, JEBD, DZKZKS, Hirakawa, Iwanami]
DDB: 四分律 |