Mohe sengqi lü 摩訶僧祇律

Mohe sengqi lü 摩訶僧祇律, with a length of 40 juan 四十卷, the Chinese version of the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, is a Buddhist monastic disciplinary text (vinaya). It is commonly abbreviated as Sengqilü 僧祇律. The meaning of the title is rendered as the "Rules of the great assembly of monks" (dazhong lü 大眾律). It represents the comprehensive vinaya transmitted by the Mahāsāṃghika School (Ch. Dazhong bu 大眾部) of Indian Buddhism.

It was translated during the Eastern Jin period 晉 (265-420) by Buddhabhadra (Ch. Fotuobatuoluo 佛陀跋陀羅, 359-429) and Faxian 法顯 (337-422). In 250, the monk Dharmakāla (Ch. Tankejialuo 曇柯迦羅) translated a single-fascicle Sengqi vinaya prātimokṣa (Ch. Sengqi jieben 僧祇戒本) at the White Horse Temple (Baima Si 白馬寺) in Luoyang 洛陽. Later, the monk Sengjian 僧建 obtained the Sengqi bhikṣuṇī karman (Ch. Sengqi ni jiemo 僧祇尼羯磨 and Prātimokṣa (jieben 戒本) texts in the Yuezhi 月支 country, and translated them in Luoyang in 357. However, all of these earlier translations have since been lost. In 399, Faxian traveled to Central India and copied a Sanskrit manuscript of the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, which he and Buddhabhadra jointly translated in 418.

The book is divided into two major sections, the disciplinary regulations for monks (bhikṣu, Ch. biqiu 比丘) and for nuns (bhikṣuṇī, Ch. biquni 比丘尼). Fascicles 1 through 35 constitute the monks' disciplinary section, listing 218 precepts for bhikṣus, 113 miscellaneous vagga (baju 跋渠, sectioned recitation) regulations, and 50 rules concerning deportment and conduct. Fascicles 36 through 40 constitute the nuns' disciplinary section, listing 277 precepts for bhikṣuṇīs and 34 miscellaneous vagga regulations.

In many places, the Mohe sengqi lü contains ideas resonant with Mahāyāna sutras and may be regarded as an early germ of Mahāyāna doctrinal exposition. A notable feature of its exegetical portions is that it cites the Jātaka (bensheng jin 本生經, stories of the Buddha's life) on fifty-three occasions. The text also quotes scriptures such as the Śrāmaṇyaphala-sūtra (Ch. Shamenguo jing 沙門果經) and the Madhyamāgama (Zhong ahan jing 中阿含經), indicating that the compilation of this Vinaya occurred at a relatively late date. Nevertheless, its accounts of events such as the Second Buddhist Council, held in circa 383 BCE in Vaishali, and the Buddha's past-life narratives are of considerable value for the study of Indian Buddhist history.