The buddhist cannon is called the Tipitaka. Literally "three baskets" for it is divided into three sets of teaching, the Abhidhamma, the suttas, and the Vinaya.

The Suttas and the Abhidhamma get most of the attention in Western Buddhism. The recorded stories of the Buddha and the systematized summary of his core teachings respectively; to those hungry for pure uncut Dhamma there seems little reason to look any further. But the Vinaya--The laws of monastic life--are steeped in wisdom, and worthy of the attention of any serious pilgrim on the path to nirvana.

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For several centuries after the life of the Buddha to BE a Buddhist meant you were a monk or a nun. The way of life outlined in their ascetic practices were an integral part of cultivating an enlightened way of life. For the scholar, the laws themselves, and how they vary between schools and over time, are an invaluable insight into the daily life of our predecessors. For the nightstand Buddhist, the commentaries on the laws often contain stories of the life of the Buddha that either go into greater detail than--or are not contained in--the suttas.

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The vinaya carefully instructs how a feast to honor Buddhist monks is to be prepared. How they are to behave themselves. How the seats should be arranged. When they are allowed to speak. How hands and dishes should be washed. How the floors should be swept. That a plate of food and an empty chair be left at the table for Mother Hariti.

And if the host should ask who is Mother Hariti?

“Thus have I heard,

Once in her former life, this mother made a vow for some reason or other to devour all the babies in Rajagraha. After causing much suffering and grief, she was caught and executed.

#lore #buddhism #vinaya