Upali

Texts

In the Pāli tradition, numerous discourses show the Buddha and Upāli discussing matters of monastic discipline, including the legality of decision-making and assemblies, and the system of giving warnings and probation. Much of this is found in the Parivāra, a late vinaya text. Bareau has suggested the conversation between the Buddha and Upāli about schisms was the origin of the traditions about this subject in the Vinayapiṭaka. In the vinaya texts of the Sarvastivāda tradition, the Uttragrantha and the 5th-century Mahāyāna-inspired Upalipariprccha feature similar to almost the same questions as the Pāli Pārivāra, although the suggestion that the latter originates from a no longer extant Pāli text has not been proven. The Turkistan Sanskrit version of the Uttragrantha, on the other hand, does not match the Pāli at all. With regard to these lists of questions, it is unknown which of these questions are from Upāli, and which were attributed to him because of his reputation. Apart from these technical discussions, there is also a teaching given by Upāli referred to in the Pāli Milindapañhā. Religion scholar Charles Prebish has named the Upalipariprccha as one of twenty-two texts worthy of study and practice, in order to develop American Buddhist ethics.