Buddhist Monastic Discipline: The Sanskrit Prātimokṣa Sūtras of the Mahāsāṃghikas and Mūlasarvāstivādins

The introductory section traces the formation of the Buddhist Saṅgha from the Buddha’s first disciples and the earliest ordination procedures to the growth of permanent monastic settlements. It examines the transition from solitary wandering to communal residence during the rainy season, the emergence of āvāsas, ārāmas, vihāras, and cave monasteries, and the development of administrative offices necessary for collective monastic life. The author presents this institutional evolution as a central factor in the preservation and expansion of Buddhism. The book then situates the Prātimokṣa within the wider body of Vinaya literature, distinguishing paracanonical, canonical, and noncanonical disciplinary texts. Particular attention is given to the classification of offences, ritual recitation, punishment, confession, and communal regulation. The parallel translations of the two Sanskrit texts are accompanied by textual notes, a comparative concordance with other Indic Prātimokṣa traditions, and a bibliography designed to support further research into early Buddhist institutional history.