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Patimokkha — overview of meaning, background and key points, with links to related topics for context.
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