130 Buddhist Ethics (3) The lifting of restrictions, (4) the rainy season [retreat], and (5) [rules concerning] the use of leather articles, (6) Food and medicines, (7) robes, (8) the making and distribution [of the robes], (9) Koshambi (legal procedures in case of disagreements over formal procedures170), (10) formal procedures, (11) The Pandulohitaka (for amending downfalls through subjugation),171 (12) [factors concerning] the individual, 172 (13) Demotion,173 (14) suspension from confession,174 (15) [Rules concerning] monastery sites and monks’ quarters, (16) procedures [for settling] disputes, and (17) procedures [to resolve] schisms in the community.175 The [Sanskrit] word vastu (basis) denotes that which provides support for the three trainings [of ethics, meditation, and wisdom] The first [basis, ordination,] has been presented above The other sixteen can be subsumed under five [major bases] of monastic discipline: (1) [confession, rainy season retreat, and lifting of the restrictions form] the basis for the refinement of the training, (2) [making and distribution of the robes, regulations for robes, the use of leather articles, and food and medicines form] the basis of the conditions for living comfortably, (3) the various sorts of ceremonies [form] the basis of formal procedures, (4) [Koshambi, Pandulohitaka, factors concerning the individual, demotion, suspension, settling disputes, and ways to resolve schisms form] the basis of amendment (purification of failings), and (5) monastery sites and monks’ quarters and the ancillary advice to abandon two extreme [lifestyles form one] basis.176 Refinement of the Training [i'] This section has two parts: (1) a brief presentation, and (2) an extensive explanation Brief Presentation [aa'] The first basis for monastic discipline consists of three methods for refinement of the training The first of the five major bases consists of the threefold basis for refining monastic training Extensive Explanation [bb'] The extensive explanation is presented under three headings: (1) confession, (2) the rainy season retreat, and (3) lifting of restrictions The Vows of Personal Liberation 131 Confession [1"] The purification-renewal to develop mental quiescence perfects meditation and wisdom Confession to foster harmony should be performed Every half month, to increase prosperity, to eliminate misfortune, and to settle disputes Confession (lit “purification-renewal,”) [whose nature is] to regenerate the spirit of the three trainings and to purify downfalls, is of two kinds: (1) purification-renewal to develop mental quiescence, and (2) confession to foster harmony Purification-Renewal to Develop Mental Quiescence [a"] Purification-renewal to develop mental quiescence [embraces all stages of practice on the path to liberation] To accomplish such “renewal,” a monk should be of pure morality and have a contented mind with few desires, the exalted potential for freedom from attachment He must first learn and reflect upon the collections of scripture, thereby establishing the conditions for entering the path Then, having built a meditation hut and appointed a helper,177 he engages in the practice to develop mental quiescence,178 applying the nine methods of setting the mind.179 [Once that stage is attained,] the monk cultivates the discriminating awareness of insight180 by exercising the four mindfulnesses181 and other meditations, [gradually] traversing the five paths182 by means of the thirty-seven factors of awakening,183 to attain the four kinds of result.184 Confession to Foster Harmony [b"] The One Hundred Formal Procedures185 states: Confession to foster harmony 186 consists of five types: (1) confession on the fourteenth [day of the lunar month], (2) confession on the fifteenth, (3) confession to increase prosperity, (4) confession to eliminate misfortune, (5) confession to unify the community The great translator Dharmashri187 states that the first of the five confessions is performed on the following dates: On the fourteenth day of the waning moon, Of the eleventh, first, third, fifth, seventh, And ninth months of the Mongolian calendar.188 132 Buddhist Ethics Concerning the second, confession on the fifteenth day of the month: Know [that confession should be performed] On the fifteenth day of both the waxing and waning moon; Whatever else is stated is erroneous To explain, Tsonapa, Jadul,189 and others consider the beginning of the calendar year to be the first day of the waning moon of the first month of winter (equivalent to the tenth month of the Mongolian calendar) [October-November] Therefore, they assert that the first confession of the year is held one and a half months later (in the waning moon of the eleventh month of the Mongolian calendar), on the fourteenth of the month of the constellation Pushya Butön and others consider the sixteenth of the ninth month of the Mongolian calendar [September-October, as the beginning of the calendar year] and the earlier Tibetan masters such as Chim,190 the sixteenth of the eighth month [August-September]; the sixth Shamar191 agrees with Butön However calculated, “the confessions to be performed on specific days” are to be done on the six fourteenth days, and the eighteen fifteenth days [of the lunar calendar—the days of the full and new moon] The setting for the confession should be within a boundary defined [with signs in the four directions], the large or small,192 in a natural place such as a cave, a man-made construction such as a house, or a natural phenomenon such as the shade of a tree The participants of the confession may be any of the five types of renunciate The preparation for the ceremony of confession193 begins with the monks [examining whether or not they have incurred any downfalls since the last confession; if so,] they confess, promise to restrain from such acts in the future, and “consecrate” the downfalls [in front of a worthy monk].194 The monastic community is summoned by [the sound of striking] a gandi wood of the right dimensions.195 [Once the monks are gathered,] the three-part customary rite [of making prostrations, recitation of the Buddha’s discourses, and dedication of merits] is performed, and the scripture that praises ethical conduct196 is recited if it is not possible to propound the doctrine [Next are three indispensable preparations:] (1) To purify their minds, the monks [recollect their downfalls in the midst of the assembly and thus are consecrated through a proposal by the ceremonial master]; (2) agreement [on the place for confession or on the boundary is reached through a twofold procedure including proposal]; The Vows of Personal Liberation 133 and (3) for the sake of the community’s harmony and so that for those monks unable to attend the ceremony due to sickness and so forth confession may still take place, the elder praises the Personal Liberation Scripture,197 [announces the date for the confession ceremony, and gives advice, while the disciplinarian reports the assent to the ceremony given by those unable to attend.] During the main part [of the ceremony of confession], an elder recites the Personal Liberation Scripture The ceremony is concluded by the dedication [of merit] and [prayers of] aspiration If there are no more than three fully ordained monks in that place, each performs the consecration [of the downfalls] in turn, one in front of the others If one is alone, one confesses verbally and mentally At the very least, one should recite the three and a half lines of verse198 that was the original confession formula [spoken by] the Buddha The elder who recites [the Personal Liberation Scripture] must be duly qualified A monk who has been a full member of the order in good standing for more than twenty years is called a regent-like elder One who has been a full member of the order in good standing for twenty years is a lion-like elder [Both of these] should be well-versed in the scriptures on discipline and self-reliant [in matters of discipline] The child-like elder is one who has not learned the scriptures on discipline even though sixteen years have elapsed since he entered the order The elder who resembles the karandava corn199 is one who has transgressed ethical conduct Of these four, the former two fulfill [the requirements] The third, [confession to increase prosperity,] is performed on auspicious occasions such as consecration [of a temple, etc.], or at the occurrence of inauspicious circumstances such as floods, droughts, infestations of rats, parrots, or locusts, or the advent of a tyrannical ruler The fourth, [confession to eliminate misfortune,] is performed in order to dispel adversity such as hail, robbers, thieves, sickness, or an epidemic, or to ensure that these not recur The fifth, [confession to unify the community,] is performed in order to reconcile dissensions in the order The latter three types of confession (to increase prosperity, etc.) are not performed on fixed dates and therefore the reason for their performance must be stated at the beginning of the ceremony (as the proposal) Except for this point, the procedure is the same as the one for confession held on fixed dates 134 Buddhist Ethics Rainy Season Retreat [2"] Each of the two rainy season retreats, the earlier and later, lasts three months The rainy season retreat200 lasts for three months and is performed during an earlier or later period The earlier retreat begins on the first day of the waning moon of the last of [the three] summer months (the month of the constellation Alpha Aquiloe201 [June-July]) with the monks making the promise [to remain in] retreat for three months The later begins on the first day of the waning moon of the first month of autumn (the month of the constellation Alpha Pegasi,202 [JulyAugust]) However, Butön and his followers have said that it is best to make the pledge of the earlier rainy season retreat on the sixteenth day of the month of the constellation Antares,203 [May-June] The sixth Shamar makes the same assertion In order to create the conditions for a harmonious retreat, [the monastic community] should extended204 preparations to ensure that quarrelsome monks are excluded from the rainy season retreat and that monks who are well-versed in the [three] collections of the scriptures will participate The temple should be cleaned and [damage repaired] as part of these preparations The immediate preparations are [done one day before the beginning, on the fifteenth] A ceremony of confession is first performed, following which [one monk or several] are appointed to distribute [in order of seniority anointed] wooden sticks [to reckon the number of participants]205 and to assign rooms and beds On the morning of the sixteenth, under [the prescribed] roofed dwelling, the monks begin the actual retreat with the promise to follow its rules, made by repeating three times the appropriate formula in the presence of [an experienced] monk From that point forward, the participants are not allowed to remain outside of the boundary of the retreat from one day to the dawn of the following one without having received permission [For the duration of the retreat,] the monks are required to exert themselves in listening [to the doctrine], reflecting [on it], and meditating 206 until the retreat concludes with the lifting of restrictions Lifting of Restrictions [3"] Timely, untimely, or unexpected lifting of the restrictions conclude the retreat ... (in the waning moon of the eleventh month of the Mongolian calendar), on the fourteenth of the month of the constellation Pushya Butön and others consider the sixteenth of the ninth month of the. .. as the shade of a tree The participants of the confession may be any of the five types of renunciate The preparation for the ceremony of confession193 begins with the monks [examining whether... unify the community The great translator Dharmashri187 states that the first of the five confessions is performed on the following dates: On the fourteenth day of the waning moon, Of the eleventh,