Dear Yong Peng,

I am a new member of this group, and my knowledge regarding this
particular topic is rather limited. Therefore, my accuracy of my
response should be taken with a grain of salt.

From my viewpoint, there is definitely the possibility that there may
be several traditions that may actively enforce this rule, but it
does not seem to be written in any "canonical" works. However, it
should be noted that several traditions have rules and/or exceptions
outside of any official canon! (IE. The relaxation of rules regarding
money)

Hypothetically, the existence of such a rule could be more practical
than of an actual doctrinal position; lay practitioners typically
take several precepts in their Buddhist practice. The reading of the
Vinaya may lead to confusion and/or misinterpretation of the precepts.

Personally, I would think that such a rule, while having good
intentions, is a bit extreme; rather, the readings of the Vinaya and
the Tipitika/Tripitika should be encouraged -- but with an emphasis
on the right state of mind. If you do decide to read the Vinaya, I
would encourage you to follow the same path!

As for the Vinaya texts, there are several ways to access them. The
first way, if you are at an academic institution, is to find books
from the Pali Text Society at your local library; they offer
translated works of Pali books, and I'm certain that they have books
on the Vinaya code. The second way is to access several of the e-
books and e-texts that are available on the Internet. However, I
cannot guarantee the accuracy of these translations.

As for learning about the life of the Buddha and his career, there
are several (if not hundreds) books regarding this topic. The tales
of his life differ in both minor and significant ways depending on
the Buddhist tradition. Such tales are fairly easy to find. If you
are looking for Pali sources, the Dhammapada (at least, in most of
the copies I've read) typically has a section relating the verses to
stories of the Buddha's teachings. The Jataka, while not directly
related to the "life" of the Buddha, is another fairly good narrative
of his past lives.

I hope this helps!

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Ong Yong Peng" <yongpeng.ong@...>
wrote:

> Dear Ven. Yuttadhammo, Piya and friends,
>
> I have a question concerning laypeople and the Vinaya. In some
> Buddhist traditions, particularly the various Chinese traditions,
> there is a belief that laypeople should not read the Vinaya, and
> another belief that any layperson doing so will go to hell. I think
> the only exceptions would be non-Buddhists and scholars, although
> that is quite a lot of people. I like to know what does the

different

> Theravada traditions (Thai, Burmese, Sinhalese, etc.) say about

this.

>
> The reason for this Chinese tradition, as I learnt from a Mahayana
> monk, is so that laypeople will not be judgmental of monks and

nuns,

> which can also be bad karma! It makes sense?. Because of this
> [Chinese tradition], I have long regarded the Vinaya as house rules
> to an exclusive group of people, i.e. the monks and nuns. So,
> laypeople do not have the rights to judge about the internal

affairs

> of the monastic community. At the same time, monks and nuns cannot
> apply their "house rules" to laypeople, since it is, afterall,
> for "internal use only". Fair and square.
>
> Frankly, I am happy with it. I am not bothered with the rules since

I

> am not a monk. And, I have avoided the Vinaya for the above reason.
> However, I always like to learn more about the Buddha and his life.
> And, unfortunately, a large part of the narratives of his life
> in 'locked' in the Vinaya Pitaka. What should I do?
>
> Thank you.
>
>
> metta,
> Yong Peng.
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Yuttadhammo wrote:
> > Could Bhante or anyone  please refresh my memory regarding a
> > monk's shaving their head. Is this once a month or when the
> > hair is two fingers' breadth. Also it would be good if you
> > could let me have the citation.
>
> "The hair of the head should not be worn long. Whoever should do

so:

> an offense of wrong doing. I allow two-month (growth) or two
> fingerbreadths."
> -- Cv.V.2.2