This 1991 book provides a brief yet detailed account of the ideal way of life prescribed for Buddhist monks and nuns in the Pali texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The author describes the way in which the Buddha's disciples institutionalized his teachings about such things as food, dress, money, chastity, solitude and discipleship. This tradition represents an ideal of religious life that has been followed in South and Southeast Asia for over two thousand years. In previous writing on the early period of Buddhist monasticism, scholars have usually tried to give an historical account of the evolution of the monastic order, and so have seen the extant Vinaya texts as coming from distinct historical periods. This book takes a different approach by presenting a synchronic account, which allows the author to show that sources are in fact predominantly consistent and coherent.
目次
Acknowledgments vii In trod uction lX 1 The Origin of the Community 1 2 Dwelling Places 18 3 Clothing 32 4 Food 56 5 Money 76 6 Chastity 89 7 Solitude 109 8 The Rules of the Community 137 Conclusion 156 Appendix 1 Nuns 158 Appendix 2 Lay People 164 Appendix 3 The Precepts 181 Glossary 182 Index 188
