Patimokkha

In Buddhism, the Patimokkha is the basic code of monastic discipline, consisting of 227 rules for monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhunis). It is contained in the Suttavibhanga, a division of the Vinaya Pitaka.

It is not so much a rulebook for monastic training as it is a distillation of what’s really important in Buddhism.

The essence of what Buddha said went something like this: Cease to do evil, cultivate that which is good, purify the heart. This is the Way of the Awakened Ones.

The rules are arranged into sections:

• Parajika — Rules entailing expulsion from the Sangha (defeat)
• Sanghadisesa — Rules entailing an initial and subsequent meeting of the Sangha (communal meetings)
• Aniyata — Indefinite rules
• Nissaggiya Pacittiya — Rules entailing forfeiture and confession
• Pacittiya — Rules entailing confession
• Patidesaniya — Rules entailing acknowledgement
• Sekhiya — Rules of training
• Adhikarana Samatha — Rules for settling disputes