The significance of the vinaya for the sangha

?
who is the vinaya significant to?
sangha
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what are the main aims for those in a monastic setting?
to get rid of material attachments; prevent attachment to the three poisons; remove evil and dukkha
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what do they focus on?
the path of arahatship leading to the ultimate goal of nibbana
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arahatship
becoming an arhat, 'noble or worthy one' who has achieved enlightenment
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P1
contains rules
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what are the rules for?
to foster good relationships and maintain order within a monastic community setting.
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Therefore...
not really for lay Buddhists
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although lay Buddhists may access the monastic sangha for retreats...
once lay buddhists are outside the boundary, the vinaya rules are lapsed
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however, it could be recognised that monastics who observe the Patimokka rules...
...become good role models for the lay community
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what do the rules intill?
intill values indirectly into the wider Buddhist community by serving to guide the laity, remove temptation and prevent distraction
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how are monks and nuns able to live a simple life?
by observing the rules they can focus upon the Dhama, developing prajna and showing commitment and dedication to the Middle Way
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the influence...
...of the wider Buddhist community is very significant in this way
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P2
Vinaya Pitaka irrelevant and outdated
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why is the Vinaya Pitaka irrelevant and outdated?
it is patriarchal
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what can we see in the vinaya during the lifetime of the Buddha?
nuns as well as monks were fully ordained
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who did this include?
Mahaprajapati, Buddha's stepmother
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the rules required a quorum of ordained members of the sangha to be present in order for an ordination to take place
at one point, this quorum was not achieved and there was an insufficient number of nuns present
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How does this effect nuns?
the lineage of nuns in the Theravada tradition was broken
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what did this create?
it took a long time to re-establish the order of nuns and still today there are stigmas attached to nuns due to certain prejudices
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however, some would argue that...
...such prejudices do not reflect Buddhist teaching but simply the inadequacies of some social settings
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However, it does not explain...
...how there is still inequality of position for women in the Theravadin sangha in terms that it sis dominated by a patriarchal society and structure
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P3
outcome of the practical application
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how may the vinaya not be considered patriarchal?
outcome of the practical application, rather than a reflection of the status of women within the sangha
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what did Rita Gross suggest?
'the texts are... ambiguous and contradictory regarding women than those from any other period' but that to suggest that they are misogynistic is a misinterpretation
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why is it hard to argue misogyny existed in early Buddhism?
there were cultural stereotypes about women at the time
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therefore...
... they are significant
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what caused the rise of inequality?
misapplication and misinterpretation
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what is an example?
the voices of women are lacking in the texts a they are recorded by men
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what could have lead to some thinking there is misogyny?
might be the 'outburst of an individual frustrated monk' according to Gross
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it could be argued that it is even more significant today because...
...it is required for all to achieve enlightenment, both male and female and equally important to iron out any misapplications
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How has Buddhism survived in to the 21st century?
the unbroken lineage of the ordained monastic sangha
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what have the monastic sangha done by observing the Patimokka rules?
have protected the dharma since the time of the historical Buddha.
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If not fore the application of the vinya rules
it is not an overestimation to suggest that Theravada Buddhism might not be such a thriving, living way of Dharma practice today of it were it not for the vinaya rules
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it could be argued that...
as a place of refuge from suffering, the sangha needs to be disciplined in order to be conductive to the cessation of dukkha and that the collected wisdom that the vinaya brings is a practical way of achieving this and will always be significant
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

what are the main aims for those in a monastic setting?

Back

to get rid of material attachments; prevent attachment to the three poisons; remove evil and dukkha

Card 3

Front

what do they focus on?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

arahatship

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

P1

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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