Since different Vinayas were introduced into China, their rules were adopted by the Chinese Buddhist establishments of different areas for governing the conduct of monks and nuns from a long period of 3rd Century to 10th Century A.D. In this long period,eminent Buddhist clerics who practised the Vinaya rules very faithfully are being recorded in the monastic histories. Unfortunately,Buddhist disciplinary tradition under the Vinaya was finally declined and being replaced by the Po-chang Ch'ing Kuei (百丈清規 or The Pure Rule by the Master of Po-chang Shan) of Ch'an Buddhism.
Why the Vinaya would have been declined in China? Except from the reasons given in the author's paper "The Conflict Between Vinaya and the Chinese Monastic Rule:The Dilemma of Disciplinarian Venerable Hung-i" that read in the last Conference, he should like to give some other reasons:
Firstly,the Chinese clerics, whoever monks or nuns, recognizing that they are "`Mahayanists` ", but the Vinaya rules are derived from different `Hinayana` Schools. Even though they were told to observe the `Hinayana silas` by the Chinese Monastic Order,they still felt contempt for the Vinaya in their minds. Therefore,some of the clerics used to say:"The infernal flames will not cremate a wise man,while the caldron containing boiled water in the hell is not prepared for cooking a person who has `Prajna` (wisdom)". Or,they were condemned as "Some of them observing one single percept on adultery say that they are free from sin,and do not at all care for the study of the Vinaya rules". Besides, the Chinese Buddhist hagiographies used to tell that the monk-saints who strayed from Vinaya in one hand,but performed their supernatural powers on the other hand. The above-mentioned examples indicating strongly the contemptuous attitude of the Chinese `Mahayanist` clerics to the Vinaya.
Secondly,all the Vinaya rules are legislated according to the Indian tropical environment,they are not so suitable for the monastic life of a nation in the Northern Temperate Zone like China. Besides, in the long period that mentioned above, most of Chinese clerics, especially the disciplinarians, had never made their pilgrimage to India. In these circumstances, a Chinese disciplinarian would found it difficult to explain why a certain rule should have to observe and how to observe,when he sermoning the disciplinary rules. For he did not really know the cultural and enviromental background of the Vinaya. So,even a cleric who desired to observe the rules would also found his difficulty,as the instruction he received from the disciplinarian was not clear.
Thirdly,in the same period,all the Chinese cleric had already received a good Confucian