Rules

When the Buddha founded his monastic community there were no rules whatsoever. Only when a monk did a specific deed that led to specific consequences was a rule created to prohibit that behavior. Near the end of his life, the Buddha told Ananda that after his death the monastic community could discard the minor rules. This suggests that the rules he created were simply responses to the social and historical arena in which he lived. When a doctor insisted the monks be allowed to wear robes made from good-quality cloth, the Buddha created a new rule saying monks no longer had to wear rags from the funeral grounds. This change was created on the grounds of good health. The Buddha understood rules may become redundant, anachronistic, unnecessary, and even unhealthy.