Pratimoksha vows

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The vows of pratimoksha (or ‘individual liberation’) (Wyl. so sor thar pa) mainly emphasize disciplining one’s physical behaviour and not harming others. Pratimoksha discipline is called the foundation of Buddhism because for ordinary people physical discipline is the beginning of spiritual training and the basis of spiritual progress. The aspiration of the pure pratimoksha discipline is the achievement of liberation for oneself, as it belongs to the shravaka training. However, since Tibetan Buddhists are automatically followers of the Mahayana, they emphasize taking the pratimoksha vows with the attitude of bodhichitta.

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