Buddhism - Vinaya or Monastic Discipline

"'In that case, bhikkhus, I will formulate a training rule for the bhikkhus with ten aims in mind: the excellence of the Community, the peace of the Community, the curbing of the shameless, the comfort of well-behaved bhikkhus, the restraint of effluents related to the present life, the prevention of effluents related to the next life, the arousing of faith in the faithless, the increase of the faithful, the establishment of the true Dhamma, and the fostering of discipline.'" The Buddha.

Buddhism was able to survive and continue in India after the Buddha because of the Buddhist Sangha. They not only codified and preserved his teachings but also took it far and wide into many countries outside India. Overtime, the Sangha developed its own set of monastic rules and code of conduct on the top of the laws, practices and customs which were established during the Buddha's life. It is difficult to imagine Buddhism without the Sangha and its disciplined approach to the practice and propagation of Buddhism and the conduct of its monks. Where the Sangha declines, Buddhism declines. Jayaram V