[Buddha-l] Vinaya Texts trans/ed. by Oldenberg

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Fri, 2010-01-22 at 10:10 -0700, JKirkpatrick wrote:

> Could "the folk" have invented this falsehood (if indeed it is
> false) to save themselves from arduous scripture reading,
> assuming that they were literate, of course? 

As I recall (with my faulty memory), the injunction against reading the
vinaya came up at a time when informed laity were accusing monks of
failing to abide by the vinaya. Seeing that an informed layperson is a
dangerous thing, the monks said "Here, read some sutras instead. We'll
take care of the vinaya ourselves." 

But perhaps that explanation is a pious Quaker myth.

Richard