Introduction to Pabbajjavinicchaya (4)

The reason for this translation

There is scarcity of translation about Vinaya commentary and sub-commentary into English.   The book Guide to the Tipi¥aka (pp-5-12) shows just guidelines of Vinaya pi¥aka. The book An introduction to Buddhism (pp- 217-240) gives some of the Buddhist practices in article style. The book Theravada Buddhism (pp- 89-115) describes a critical study of vinaya rules and practices. The book Buddhism and society (pp-279-421) approaches the Monastism in anthropology style. The book A handbook of Pæ¹i literature (pp-7-23) states a detailed survey of Suttavibha³ga (rules), Khandhakas (divisions), Pariværa (appendices to Vinaya) and the lists of commentaries and sub-commentaries with short explanations. The books Vinaya texts translated by T.W. Rhys Davids and Hermann Oldenberg, part 1 (1881), part 2 (1882) and part 3 (1885) express the rules of monks and bhikkhunøs without background stories, and Khandhakas and Pariværa. The books Book of the discipline translated by I.B. Horner, Vol. 1 (1938), Vol. 2 (1940), Vol. 3 (1942), Vol. 4 (1962), Vol. 5 (1963) and Vol. 6 (1966) describe all the Vinaya texts, but not commentaries and sub-commentaries. Due to scarcity of the translation of vinaya commentaries and sub-commentaries, the thought occurred to my mind to translate some parts of vinaya commentary or sub-commentary. Therefore I did this translation.

However, this is a translation of a part of sub-commentary. Neither commentary nor sub-commentary can stand alone without the original canonical texts. All of them are interrelated each other.  One can only understand the meaning of the sub-commentary when reading it alongside the commentary and root text. 

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