Overview
The Khandhaka Vattas are the 14 comprehensive categories of operational duties and etiquette rules laid down in the Vinaya. They dictate the communal and physical behavior of fully ordained monks. These 14 duties ensure that a Theravāda monastery runs like a seamless, clean, orderly machine, completely independent of the varying personal whims of individual monastics.
The List
- Āgantukavatta: Duties of an incoming traveling monk.
- Āvāsikavatta: Duties of a resident monk toward visitors.
- Gamikavatta: Duties of an outgoing monk planning a journey.
- Anumodanāvatta: Etiquette for giving a Dhamma blessing after a meal.
- Bhojanasālavatta: Proper etiquette inside the dining hall.
- Piṇḍacārikavatta: Etiquette and mindfulness during the alms round.
- Āraññikavatta: Special regulations and precautions for forest dwellers.
- Senāsanavatta: The comprehensive cleaning and maintenance of lodgings.
- Jantāgharavatta: Etiquette and maintenance of the hot bathhouse / sauna.
- Vaccakuṭivatta: Etiquette, cleaning, and hygiene at the toilets.
- Upajjhāyavatta: The reciprocal duties of a student to his preceptor.
- Saddhivihārikavatta: The duties of a preceptor to look after his student in sickness and education.
- Ācariyavatta: The duties of a student toward his secondary teacher.
- Antevāsikavatta: The duties of a secondary teacher toward his resident student.
Textual References
- Canonical: Cullavagga (Vatta Khandhaka, Vinaya) – The Buddha exhaustively details these 14 protocols to rectify instances of careless behavior among the monks.