Vinaya Piṭaka: Mahāvagga (~1st-2nd century) [Excerpt: The Evolution of Ordination]
Jade Vine
Published on Jan 12, 2016
An excerpt of writing from an early Buddhist canon, specifically about the development of monastic communities.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinaya_Pi%E1%B9%ADaka
The Vinaya Pitaka (Pali; English: Basket of Discipline) is a Buddhist
scripture, one of the three parts that make up the Tripitaka (literally.
“Three Baskets”). The other two parts of the Tripitaka are the Sutta
Pitaka and the Abhidhamma Pitaka. Its primary subject matter is the
monastic rules for monks and nuns. The name Vinaya Pitaka (vinayapi aka)
is the same in Pāli, Sanskrit and other dialects used by early
Buddhists.
Date

Scholarly consensus places the composition
of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya in the early centuries of the first
millennium, though all the manuscripts and translations are relatively
late.[1]
Surviving versions

Six versions survive complete, of which three are still in use.

The Pali version of the Theravada, included in the Pali Canon
Suttavibhanga (-vibhaṅga): commentary on the Patimokkha, with much of its text embedded
Mahavibhanga (mahā-) dealing with monks
Bhikkhunivibhanga (bhikkhunī-) dealing with nuns
Khandhaka: 22 chapters on various topics
Parivara: analyses the rules from various points of view
‘Dul-ba, Tibetan translation of the Mulasarvastivada version; this is the version used in the Tibetan tradition
Vinayavastu: 16 skandhakas (khandhakas) and the start of the 17th
Pratimokshasutra of monks
Vinayavibhanga of monks
Pratimokshasutra of nuns
Vinayavibhanga of nuns
Vinayakshudrakavastu: rest of the 17th skandhaka and others
Vinayottaragrantha: appendices, including Upaliparipriccha, which corresponds to a chapter of the Parivara
The “Vinaya in Four Parts” (Chinese: 四分律; pinyin: Shìfēnlǜ;
Wade–Giles: Ssŭ-fen lü) (Taisho catalogue number 1428). This is Chinese
translation of the Dharmaguptaka version, and is the version used in the
Chinese tradition and its derivatives in Korea, Vietnam and in Japan
under the early Kokubunji temple system. In the case of Japan, this was
later replaced with ordination based solely on the Bodhisattva Precepts.
Bhikshuvibhanga dealing with monks
Bhikshunivibhanga dealing with nuns.
Skandhaka
Samyuktavarga
Vinayaikottara, corresponding to a chapter of the Parivara
Shih-sung lü (T1435), translation of Sarvastivada version
Bhikshuvibhanga
Skandhaka
Bhikshunivibhanga
Ekottaradharma, similar to Vinayaikottara
Upaliparipriccha
Ubhayatovinaya
Samyukta
Parajikadharma
Sanghavasesha
Kusaladhyaya
Wu-fen lü (T1421), translation of Mahisasaka version
Bhikshuvibhanga
Bhikshunivibhanga
Skandhaka
Mo-ho-seng-ch’i lü 摩訶僧祇律 (T1425), translation of Mahasanghika
version (the nuns’ rules have been translated by the late Professor
Hirakawa in English as Monastic Discipline for the Buddhist Nuns, Patna,
1982)
Bhikshuvibhanga
Bhikshunivibhanga
Skandhaka

In addition, portions of various versions survive in various languages.
Origins

It was compiled at the First Council shortly after the Buddha’s death,
and recited by Upali, with little later addition. Most of the different
versions are fairly similar, most scholars consider most of the Vinaya
to be fairly early, that is, dating from before the separation of
schools.[2]
Contents

The Pali version of the Patimokkha, the
code of conduct that applies to Buddhist monastics, contains 227 rules
for bhikkhus and 311 rules for bhikkhunis. The Vibhanga section(s) of
Vinaya Pitaka constitute(s) a commentary on these rules, giving detailed
explanations of them along with the origin stories for each rule. The
Khandhaka/Skandhaka sections give numerous supplementary rules grouped
by subject, again with origin stories. The Buddha called his teaching
the “Dhamma-Vinaya”, emphasizing both the philosophical teachings of
Buddhism as well as the training in virtue that embodies that
philosophy.

In the collected Chinese editions of the Scriptures
the Vinaya pitaka has a broader sense, including all four Chinese
vinayas listed above, parts of others, non-canonical vinaya literature,
lay vinaya and bodhisattva vinaya.
Place in the tradition

According to the scriptures, in the first years of the Buddha’s teaching
the sangha lived together in harmony with no vinaya, as there was no
need, because all of the Buddha’s early disciples were highly realized
if not fully enlightened. As the sangha expanded situations arose which
the Buddha and the lay community felt were inappropriate for samanas, or
ascetics. According to tradition, the first rule to be established was
the prohibition against sexual acts. The origin story tells of an
earnest monk whose family was distraught that there was no male heir and
so persuaded the monk to impregnate his wife. All three, the monk, his
wife and son who both later ordained, eventually became fully
enlightened arahants.

The vinaya is very important to Buddhists -

“Whatever Dhamma and Vinaya I have pointed out and formulated for
you, that will be your Teacher when I am gone.” (Mahaparinibbana Sutta,
[D.16]).