Discipline, Buddhist. The disciplinary rules imposed on Buddhist monastic communities vary in severity. Theft, murder, and sexual misconduct are generally accounted the gravest offenses, usually entailing expulsion, but there are many gradations of recognized offenses and traditionally the complete set of rules dealing with all of them down to bad table manners and the like is recited by the entire community once a month. (No such rules are imposed on lay people, except of course the general precepts for ethical conduct.) Punishments have varied considerably from place to place. Corporal punishment has been extensively used.

Geddes MacGregor, Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy, New York: Paragon House, 1989