Lzh Mg Bu Pm Sk 1Evenly All Around
Pāli / Sanskrit:Parimaṇḍala
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The Parimaṇḍala Sutta: The Practice of Evenly All Around
Background
The Parimaṇḍala Sutta (Parimaṇḍala — "Evenly all around" or "Complete and thorough") belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, which records the rules, instructions, and guidelines for the practice of the Sangha as established by the Blessed One Śākyamuni Buddha. This text has been transmitted within the context of Theravāda Buddhism, where the Vinaya (discipline) is emphasized as the foundation of communal life and the individual practice of monks and nuns.
The Vinaya Piṭaka does not consist of harsh prohibitions, but rather of wisdom-based guidance intended to help monastics abandon unwholesome tendencies, cultivate right mindfulness, establish harmony within the Sangha, and create favorable conditions for the spiritual development of both the individual and the community.
Principal Content
The Parimaṇḍala Sutta emphasizes the principle of being "complete and thorough" or "evenly all around" in the practice of the Vinaya. The word Parimaṇḍala carries the meaning of a circle — without corners or gaps — symbolizing wholeness and perfection in the observance of the rules of the Sangha.
The sutta makes clear that the practice of the Vinaya is not something to be undertaken hastily or observed merely in outward form. Rather, monks must practice in a comprehensive and conscientious manner — every particular detail is to be kept in mind and put into practice. From the smallest matters of conduct, such as proper behavior in daily life, manner of speech, and manner of walking, to the more significant precepts, all must be observed with the same spirit of sincere and wholehearted adherence.
This principle of being "evenly all around" also carries the meaning of consistency. A monk cannot keep only the major precepts while neglecting the minor ones, nor observe the precepts in public while violating them in private. Such an approach to practice is imperfect — like a wheel with damaged sections, it cannot roll smoothly or maintain its balance.
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