The Philosophy of the Bhikkhu Patimokkha: Buddhist Moral Education for Peace and Social Harmony
Abstract: The Bhikkhu Patimokkha offers a distinctive resource for examining how moral education connects individual conduct with communal peace. This study investigates its educational significance within Theravada Buddhist philosophy through a qualitative interpretation of selected Vinaya rules and related Nikaya teachings. It distinguishes the recited disciplinary code from its canonical explanations and from the wider procedures of the Vinaya. The analysis develops an account of sila as the cultivation of responsible conduct supported by attention to intention, knowledge of circumstances, acknowledgment of wrongdoing, and shared standards. Monastic training builds practical discernment as well as restraint, as shown by rules against injury, fraud, baseless charges and evasive ignorance. Uposatha recitation and procedures for settling disputes show how personal responsibility acquires an institutional setting. These resources support a qualified contribution to peace education through non-harm, truthful communication, accountable correction, and cooperation. Their application beyond the monastery requires critical adaptation because monastic jurisdiction, religious commitments, and historical hierarchies differ from the conditions of plural educational communities. The paper concludes that the Patimokkha provides a philosophically defensible model of disciplined moral learning, while its contribution to social harmony remains a normative possibility requiring educational design and empirical evaluation.
Keywords: Bhikkhu Patimokkha, Buddhist moral education, peace education, ethical responsibility
How to Cite?: Sokne Yen, "The Philosophy of the Bhikkhu Patimokkha: Buddhist Moral Education for Peace and Social Harmony", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2157-2162, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261030234515, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261030234515