Discipline

John Clifford Holt, Professor of Religion, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA. His book Buddha in the Crown: Avalakitesvara in the Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka was the American Academy of Religion Award in Excellence in the Study of Religion in 1992. He is also the editor of Anagatavamsa Desana, which is published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited.
Discipline: The Canonical Buddhism in the Vinayapitaka provides a deep analysis of an important, but neglected, part of the Pali Canon. Professor Holt identifies the central role of discipline in the quest of bhikkhu for nibbana. He finds that Vinaya rules are a practical implementation the Budha’s Dhamma. This monastic code is supposed to facilitate the overcoming of asavas. Asavas are mental dispositions that foster attachment towards the “self”, and perpetuate the process samsaric kammic punishment. Therefore, the formulation of Buddhist monastic laws should not be viewed as a result of casuistry. Rather, it is the result of an early Buddhist tradition’s conscious effort to identify and recognize behavioral expressions that once generated and reflected a calmed and detached mental and spiritual state. The Vinaya text contains the main rituals of Buddhist monasticism. This author also examines their significance. These rites are cultic celebrations that celebrate discipline, which in turn legitimize the Sangha’s claim to be the embodiment of and reservoir of Buddha’s teachings. This claim supports the Sangha’s role as a mediator between the spiritual needs and authority of the Buddha, the spiritual exemplar of Buddhism. Discipline, written in the historical perspective of religious approach, significantly contributed to the greater understanding of the dynamics of Buddhism’s formulative stages.