Vinaya pitaka

The Vinaya piTaka (The basket of disciplinary rules) consists of incorporated injunctions and admonitions of the Buddha on modes of conduct and to be restraint from evil things. The Vinaya piTaka is made up of five books. They are as follows:                                   

1.  PArAjikapAli

2.  PAcittitiyapAli

3.  µahAvaggapAli

4.  CullavaggapAli

5.  ParivArapAli

They mainly discusses about the rules and regulations for monks, nuns and lay people. They also deal with transgression or offences, which are not allowed to do. For the first twenty years after the establishment of the order (saGgha) the Buddha did not promulgate any disciplinary rules concerning PArAjika and ßaMghadisesa offences. The order went on purely without any pollution and many disciples attained three, four stages (sotApanna, sakadAgAmi, anAgAāmi and arahagAmi). But as the time went by the order grew in strength. Undesirable elements such as not having the purest motives but attractive only to be famous (yasa) and gains (lAbha) etc. prompted some bhikkhus to get into the order. Some twenty years after founding of the order it became necessary for the Buddha to promulgate rules relating to the grave offences.

      According to the PAli canon the first disciplinary rule was promulgated because by the Buddha because of the bhikkhu Suninda, a native of Kalanda village near Vesali committed the offence of having sexual intercourse with his ex-wife.

      From this time the more the bhikkhus acted in unsuitable ways the more the Buddha promulgated disciplinary rules. It is said that even the Buddha who was Fully Enlightened followed the Vinaya rules for Buddhas laid down by the early Buddhas.