Vinaya

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of disciplinary regulations for monastic practitioners in Buddhism that governs their ethical behavior and lifestyle
2. The framework of precepts that shapes the moral and communal life of monks and nuns in the Buddhist tradition
3. A collection of guidelines outlining the conduct and ethical obligations expected of Buddhist monks and nuns in a communal setting

Etymology: Vinaya is the Pali word for "discipline" or "leading out," and within Buddhism it names the body of rules that govern monastic life: what monks and nuns may eat, wear, and own, how they confess faults, and how the community settles disputes. The word is built from the prefix "vi-", meaning "apart" or "away," and "ni", "to lead," so its root sense is something like "a leading away" or guidance that takes a person out of ordinary habits. English took the term directly from Pali, the language in which the early Buddhist scriptures of the Theravada tradition were recorded, rather than through a European intermediary. Its place in English is therefore a transliteration of a specific religious term, and the word is used almost exclusively in Buddhist scholarship and religious contexts.