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The majority of Western Monastics are ordained according to the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, the Vinaya adopted by Chinese Buddhism. Nevertheless, few are able to undertake a direct study of the vast Chinese Vinaya literature.

My hope is to provide Western Buddhist Monastics lacking the knowledge of Chinese with original translation and didactic material, enabling them to gain a thorough understanding of the entire Vinaya.

The entire collection, which will take some years to accomplish, will in the end include the following texts:

• A three-volume work for the training of the Bhikṣuṇī Saṃgha:
  1. The first volume concerns the Bhikṣuṇī Vibhaṇga. The volume will cover all the rules of the Prātimokṣa, with the integral translation of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya Vibhaṇga section, the addition of supplementary material from other Vinayas or commentaries when required, explanations and summarizing tables for easy reference.
  2. The second volume will include the procedures for making amends for different categories of offences and the translation and discussion of the chapter Methods and rules concerning the evaluation of the offences, from Guidelines for Practicing Vinaya, Books 26, 27, by Vinaya Master Dao Xuan.
  3. The third volume concerns all the saṃghakarmas, with the integral translation of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya Skandhakas, accompanied by explanations and discussion of the various issues concerning transactions.
• Bhikṣu Vibhaṇga of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya.
• A complete course for the training of Śikṣamāṇā.
• Material for the training of novice monks and nuns.

I am only at the beginning, therefore only few texts are presently available. The site will be enriched with time.

The publications you will find in this site do not aim to be mere academic exercise. The goal is to allow the reader to acquire the know how to implement the Vinaya in one’s everyday life.

The Vinaya has two great divisions, namely the prohibitions contained in the Prātimokṣa, and the duties contained in the various chapters of the Skandhaka section. We may say that they cover two aspects of one’s practice as a monastic, namely the personal restraint aiming at curbing one’s defilements, and the social responsibilities towards the monastery and the community of monks and nuns.

It is the duty of a monastic to become reasonably acquainted with both the aspect of the Vinaya in order to manage successfully one’s own life and take care of the monastery and the community.

Fully-fledged monastics, namely bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, and non fully-fledged monastics, namely śikṣamāṇās, śrāmaṇeras and śrāmaṇerīs, have of course different responsibility and different educational goals. All the curricula will receive attention.