vows. Tibetan Buddhism The pratimokṣa of the Mulasarvastivada lineage followed in Tibetan Buddhism is taken for life unless one or more of the four root vows are broken. In Tibetan Buddhism, there are eight types of Pratimokṣa vows: Vows for laity Fasting Vows (Upavasa, nyungne) — 8 vows Layperson's Vows (skt. Upāsaka and Upāsikā, genyen) — 5 vows The lay pratimokṣa consists of five vows that are also known as the Five Śīlas: To refrain from killing. To refrain from stealing. To refrain from false speech. To refrain from sexual misconduct. To refrain from using intoxicants. One is not obliged to take all five vows. The commentaries describe seven types of lay followers: Promising to keep just one vow. Promising to keep certain vows. Promising to keep most of them. Promising to keep all five. Keeping all five and also promising to keep the pure conduct of avoiding sexual contact. Keeping all five, pure conduct, and wearing robes with the promise to behave like a monk or a nun. Lay follower of mere refuge. This person is unable to keep the vows but he promises to go for refuge to the triple gem until death. Vows for monastics Novices' Vows (śrāmaṇera getsul; śrāmaṇerī, getsulma) — 36 vows Full Nun's Vows (bhikṣuni, gelongma) — 364 vows Full Monk's Vows (bhikṣu, gelong) — 253 vows Only full monks and full nuns are seen as full members of the Buddhist monastic order. A group of four fully ordained monastics is seen as a sangha. The prātimokṣa tells also how to purify faults, how to solve conflicts, and deal with various situations which can happen in the sangha. See also Early Buddhist schools First Buddhist council Second Buddhist council Muzha (given name) Bibliography Indian Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Novice Vows: Lama Mipham's commentary to Nagarjunas "Stanzas for a Novice Monk" together with "Essence of the ocean of Vinaya" by Tsongkhapa (LTWA India) Full Monk Vows: "Advice from Buddha Sahkyamuni" by HH the 14th Dalai Lama, (LTWA India) Complete Explanation of the Pratimokṣa, Bodhisattva and Vajrayana Vows: "Buddhist Ethics" (Treasury of Knowledge: Book Five), Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, , Snow Lion Publications Monastic Rites by Geshe Jampa Thegchok, Wisdom Books, Ngari Panchen: Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three Vows, Wisdom Publication, (Commentary on the three sets of vows by Dudjom Rinpoche) Notes External links Sects & Sectarianism — The origins of Buddhist Schools The Ocean of Vinaya