Mūlasarvāstivād Vinaya

            The Mūlasarvāstivāda (Sanskrit: मूलसर्वास्तिवाद) was one of the early Buddhist schools of India. The origins of the Mūlasarvāstivāda and their relationship to the Sarvāstivāda sect still remain largely unknown, although various theories exist. The continuity of the Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic order remains in Tibetan Buddhism, although until recently, only Mūlasarvāstivāda bhikṣus (monks) existed: the full bhikṣuṇī order had never been introduced.

It may be mentioned that a large portion of the original Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya was discovered at Gilgit and edited by DR. Nalinaksha Durr after collating it with its Tibetan version. The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya was written on birch bark in Gupta characters of the sixth century CE and the same type as are most of the manuscript discovered by Sir Aurel Stein and other explorers in Eastern Turkestan and Central Asia. The leaves of the manuscript are very large in size being about 23/4” long and 5" broad as will be apparent from the enclosed plate.  There are ten lines in each page. The manuscript reached our hands with several gaps. The leaves were in a confused state. These have been arranged partly by the available leaf marks and partly with the help of the Tibetan version. The work is an extensive one; covering 423 leaves (vide reproduction of the last leaf in the plate).  Each leaf covers about 4 pages in print (as in the present edition), and so if all the leaves could be found, the work would have covered about 1700 pages in print. In Tibetan, this work extends over  four volumes covering (407 + 563 + 478 + 470 = ) 1918 leaves.

It may be assumed that the Vinaya texts of Sarvastivada and Mūlasarvāstivāda were not very different from each other. From the Mūlasarvāstivāda text, it appears that the Mūlasarvāstivādins also, like the Lokottarvadins, whose first Vinaya text is the Mahavastu, introduced many episodes relating to the past and present lives of Gautama Buddha. The chapters of this Pitaka that have been published Gilgit Manuscripts, Vol. III. Among the manuscript finds at Gilgit in Kashmir, a portion of the Vinaya-pitaka of the Mūlasarvāstivādins was discovered. This manuscript has been published and throws a flood of light on the growth of the Vinaya-pitaka. The order of the chapters in this manuscript is as follows:

 

1.      Pravrajya-vastu

2.      Posadha-vastu

3.      Pravarana-vastu

4.      Varsa-vastu

5.      Carma-vastu

6.      Bhaisajya-vastu

7.      Civara-vastu

8.      Kathina-vastu

9.      Kosambaka-vastu

10.  Karma-vastu

11.   Pandulohitaka-vastu

12.  Pudgala-vastu

13.  Parivasika-vastu

14.  Posadhasthapana-vastu

15.   Sayanasana- vastu and

16.   Sahghabheda- vastu

The third and fourth chapters deal with the monk's residence during the rains and the ceremony to be performed at the close of the Vassavasa. The monks were asked to be generally itinerant as the chances of a lapse would be greater if they resided at one place for a long time. But during the three months of the rainy season the monks were for many reasons directed to remain at a fixed abode. This practice was known as Vassavasa. It was also observed by the Jaina and other recluses of the Buddha's time. There were, however, some occasions which urgently needed the presence of a monk outside the limit of his abode. Accordingly, a monk was allowed to go outside his limits for one week. Lest the monks should misuse this privilege, specific purposes are mentioned for which this permission could be granted. This topic concludes with the enumeration of circumstances which justify the ending of the Vassāvāsa before the appointed time.

During the Vassāvāsa, the monks were expected to live in concord and observe the disciplinary rules. As this was not always possible, the Teacher prescribed that at the end of the Vassāvāsa the monks should meet in assembly and declare their acts of omission and commission. The formalities to be observed in the assembly are the same as those prescribed for the Uposatha ceremony. Such an assembly at the end of the Vassāvāsa was called Pavarajja. There are many instances of irregularities, to remedy which the Teacher framed several rules.

Part of the Pavāranā ceremony was the distribution of robes collected on the closing day. It was called the Kathina ceremony. On the day of Pavāranā, the laity offered un-sewn cloth to the resident monks. It was laid down that if the Sangha received such offers, the monks were expected to meet and declare formally that they were going to celebrate the Kathina ceremony. The main function of this ceremony was to entrust certain monks with the cutting, sewing and dyeing of the robes, and all this was to be finished in one day. When the robes were ready, they were distributed among the residents. There were, however, cases of doubtful claimants, and so rules were framed to determine who was really entitled to a share of the robes.