Guest Lecture: The Māṇavikā Chapter in the Uttaragrantha of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya

The Vinaya (Tib. ’Dul ba, Chi. lü 律) is a collection of teachings on the rules and regulations that form the foundation of Buddhist monastic communities, ensuring their unity and communal living. Among the ancient Buddhist schools, the Mūlasarvāstivāda, which flourished in many parts of India, particularly in North India, was one of the most influential schools of Indian Buddhism. Its Vinaya is still in use today by Tibetan Buddhists and was also translated into Chinese by Yijing (義淨, 635–713 CE), one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese Buddhist translation.
Despite its significance, the final section of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, the Uttaragrantha, has received limited scholarly attention, partly due to limited access to the original Sanskrit materials as well as its availability in three different classical Buddhist languages, posing challenges regarding its translations and transmission. However, this section holds considerable historical significance for understanding of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

At the end of the last century, Sanskrit manuscript fragments of the Uttaragrantha were discovered in two Private Collections—the Schøyen Collection and the Private Collection, Virginia—and this discovery initially drew academic attention to the Uttaragrantha. Drawing on these materials, I investigate the Māṇavikā Chapter of the Uttaragrantha in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, filling significant gaps in our knowledge of the specific content of Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya as well as its textual history, transmission, and multiplicity. In this talk, I will present a summary of my research on the Māṇavikā Chapter including the background, the Sanskrit manuscript of the Uttaragrantha, and key findings.