Lzh Mi Bu Vb Ss 7Building a Dwelling
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vihārakāra
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The Sutta on Building a Monastery (Vihārakāra)
Background
The Vihārakāra sutta is presented in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunīvibhaṅga or in rules related to building and repairing religious structures. This material reflects the practical issues that arose as the Dharma developed and fellow practitioners needed places for residence and communal life.
In the Buddha's time, monks and nuns did not own personal property, but the Sangha had the right to own common property for the sake of practice. The matter of building monasteries is an important part of the Vinaya Piṭaka because it concerns ethics, discipline, and the management of public property in the religious community.
Main Content
The Vihārakāra sutta handles rules connected with someone being entrusted with building, expanding, or repairing structures approved by the Sangha. Those who take part in construction (vihārakāra, monastery builders) must observe strict ethical principles.
This rule states that the building process must not be exploited to accumulate personal property, conceal expenses, or misuse materials belonging to the Sangha. If the builder acts dishonestly, hides matters, or appropriates common property, he or she commits a Pārājika or Saṅghādisesa offense depending on the severity of the violation.
The sutta also emphasizes that construction must be carried out under the supervision of the Sangha, and that all expenses and materials must be clearly reported. The builder must act with purity, transparency, and integrity, hiding no expense and taking no opportunity to accumulate personal possessions.
This reflects a basic principle of the Vinaya Piṭaka: even useful and necessary activities such as building physical facilities must conform to the highest ethical standards, and public service must not be used as an appearance to conceal unwholesome motives.
Practical Meaning
Although this sutta speaks of physical construction, it has profound meaning for spiritual practice today.
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