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Traditionally, the Buddhist teachings are divided into three major division: the Sutras, the Vinaya, and the Abhidharma. The Vinaya are the discourses of the Buddha on the conduct of the monks and nuns and also lay persons.

The Buddha taught the vinaya to monks and nuns so that they had a set of rules allowing them to devote their complete energy to reaching enlightenment. The Buddha, however, did not simply one day give these rules. Rather he waited for the proper situation to arise and would give a teaching on that particular situation.

Since this time, the world has changed. For example, in Buddha's day all ordinary persons slept on straw mats on the floor and only kings and wealthy merchants slept on beds. So one of the rules of the Vinaya is that monks and nuns could not sleep in a high bed. Clearly, today when almost everyone sleeps in a bed, this prohibition seems antiquated.

Thrangu Rinpoche, is eminently qualified for explaining the Vinaya and Buddhist conduct because he has lived since the age of four in a monastic situation. Thrangu rinpoche has maintained his vows and was asked to become abbot of Gampo abbey, one of the few Tibetan monasteries in North America. These reachings are Rinpoch's detailed explanation of this poorly understood part of the Buddhist cannon.