Lzh Mu Bu Vb Ss 7Building a Dwelling
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vihārakāra
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THE SCRIPTURE ON CONSTRUCTING A MONASTERY (VIHĀRAKĀRA)
Context
The Vihārakāra scripture is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Suttavibhaṅga section of the Pāli collection, containing specific rules of discipline for Buddhist monks and nuns. In the early context of Theravāda Buddhism, the construction and maintenance of monasteries (vihāra) was an essential part of collective practice. This scripture addresses legal matters related to creating and building living spaces for monastics who observe the discipline of the Buddha.
In the Buddha’s time, monastics for the most part lived a wandering life, without fixed residence (aniruddha). However, as the Buddha Dharma developed, communities of study and practice needed stable places to cultivate and teach the scriptures. Thus, building monasteries became necessary, but it also had to follow principles of restraint, humility, and not creating strain within the community.
Main Content
The Vihārakāra scripture gives instructions on ethical principles in building monasteries. According to the Vinaya tradition, construction must observe certain rules: there must be no wastefulness, the consent of the community is needed, and the bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs who reside there must be respected.
Specifically, this scripture emphasizes that any construction must be for the benefit of the Dharma path, to create conditions for practice and the preservation of the Teaching, not to satisfy personal preference or the ambition of a few individuals. Monastics who participate in construction must have minds free from greed, hatred, and delusion (alobha, adosa, amoha), the three basic wholesome roots of Buddhism.
The scripture also prescribes that the construction process must not intentionally harm other living beings and must not misuse the common property of the community (saṃgha). If a monk participates in construction with the intention of taking possession or separating out a private benefit, that is a serious violation of the discipline.
Practical Meaning
The Vihārakāra scripture does not speak only about material architecture, but also reflects profound principles concerning the community of practice.
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