An Aanalytical Study of Counting The Number of Bhikhupātimokkhaṃ

Abstract

This documentary research is entitled “Analytical Study of Counting the Numbers of Bhikkhupātimokkha. It has 3 objectives: 1) to study the history of Bhikkhupātimokkha 2) to study the significance of Bhikkhupātimokkha and 3) to analyze the counting on the numbers of Bhikkhupātimokkha. The research found that the meaning of the Buddha’s promulgation is the rules that were laid down by the Blessed One. Vinaya, the rules for monks are divided into 2types. The regulations composed by Buddha himself are called training rule, while other rules concern the duties and regulations.                 
The results of study were also revealed that the oral recitation of pātimokkha for the first time has no evidence to identify the numbers of training rules precepts of apatti aggregate. But there were more than one hundred and fifty training rules raised for recitation. No evidence in Pāli shows what these numbers are. Someone hypothesize about these numbers and had the opinion that there were only one hundred and fifty training rules to be recited, which would be mistakes. However, this research shows that the Buddha has added more training rules later on. Up to the times he passed away, there were two hundred and twenty training rules, which composed of the four Defeats (pārājika), the thirteen Formal Meetings (samghādisesā), the two undetermined (aniyatā), the thirty Forfeitures (nissaggiyā), the ninety-two minor matters (pācittiyā), the four Confessions (pāṭidesanīyā), the seventy five Trainings (sekhiyā). In the oral recitation of Bhikkhupātimokkha, the seven rules for settling disputes (Adhikaranasamathā) were also added in recitation. Therefore, it is totally two hundred and twenty seven items as mentioned in VinayaPitakaMahavibhagkha Vol. 1 and Vols. 2 and ParivaraVinayaPitaka Vols. 8.