Introduction

On January 2nd, 2025, I left The International Institute of Theravāda (IIT) . It was something I had planned since late September 2024 and something I had wanted to do within the first few months of first attending in December 2022. I patiently waited for things to change. The main reason I left was that it was just a little too intensive for me and different from what I originally signed up for. I signed up to learn the Pāḷi language and also to fulfill the requirements of Nissaya Muttaka.

Nissaya Muttaka refers to the list of items needed by a student to be free from a teacher who gives dependence. If you do not have these qualities fulfilled at one time or another (not required to have all at once), then you need to repeatedly ask a teacher to watch over you, and you need to ask them for permission when you want to do many things, like shaving, cutting nails, or even leaving the monastery. There are different interpretations of what is needed to be considered “independent.” Some monasteries allow independence simply by the ability to “read” the bhikkhu pātimokkha, but the official Pāḷi text commentary provides a more detailed list:

• Two (sets) of pātimokkha rules (bhikkhu and bhikkhunī) should be learned by heart [at least].
• Four bhāṇavāra of Pāḷi.
• Mahā Rāhulovāda or other suttas — “one of them” for guiding community members who have assembled.
• Giving talks on alms offerings to saṅgha (saṅghadāna), auspicious occasions, and funerals.
• To be confident in Uposatha, Pavāraṇā, etc., one should be skilled in the right factors and faults in formal acts (vinayakamma).
• Knowing the basic method of samathavipassanā meditation objects (samādhi and vipassanā) up to the level of achieving Arahanthood.

I have recited the pātimokkha for the saṅgha in its entirety from memory many times. I have also memorized the bhikkhunī pātimokkha in sections.

Catubhāṇavāra

Another major list item is the catubhāṇavāra. This means that one needs to recite by memory, at one time or another, a total of four measures of 8,000 syllables of anything in the Sutta Piṭaka. While 32,000 syllables are required, I have done a little bit more than that. Below is a chart of what I have memorized:

Other List Items

Generally speaking, I have some understanding of the other list items. (One does not need attainments, but must technically know how they are achieved.) I also need to study some of the vinayakammas, but we usually read these statements from a book. Therefore, I have fulfilled the general requirements.

The Time Commitment of IIT

The 6-Year Program at IIT is not only called “Nissaya Muttaka”, but it is primarily an academic program with the Nissaya Muttaka requirements as a secondary focus. The program demands a significant time investment, with approximately 6 hours of classes per day, four days per week. Additionally, students undergo recitation exams every Wednesday and written exams on most Fridays.

The final exam period is particularly intensive. Each subject’s final exam consists of a two-hour morning session (multiple-choice and short-answer questions) and a three-hour afternoon session (essay-based questions). With seven different courses, students face rigorous testing that requires deep focus, memorization, and strong analytical skills.

Fulfilling the specific item list for Nissaya Muttaka given above gave me the freedom to make a choice to decide “Do I really want to stay here for four more years?”

Pāḷi

I was not able to learn the Pāḷi language using the IIT approach, which seems to work well for the Sinhalese. This is because vocabulary building was not a primary focus. The Sinhalese have a Sanskrit-based language, which makes it easier for them to recognize words as they come across them. We were also kept very busy with other courses and assignments, which limited our focus on Pāḷi. As a result, I still rely on translations and dictionary lookups to properly read the suttas in the original Pāḷi language.

I am now studying another Pāḷi language course, which is designed to build a good working vocabulary along with grammar. I find it challenging even after two years at IIT, but I believe this method better suits my learning style.

Retention of the Material

While I can retain the general background information to look things up again, retaining the details and granularity of what I studied was difficult after completing the exams. Because of this, I felt I was wasting my time. I would rather study to remember how to look things up rather than study for detailed granularity on exams that would later be forgotten.

Kelaniya University

One of my motivations for leaving was the opportunity to pursue a Master’s Degree in Buddhist Studies at Kelaniya University. The workload is six hours of classes every Saturday. It appears to be only 25% of what we were doing at IIT, and after just one year, I will have an M.A. degree. I believe this will be useful if I decide to teach a free AP Buddhist Course in America later on. I think this would attract people who are casually interested in Buddhism but are more motivated by the opportunity to earn university applied credit. I myself was introduced to Buddhism while taking a World Religions course in 1990, so I feel this is an important propagation tool.

A Summary Poem

I came to learn, to chant, to grow,
Through Pāḷi texts, the way to know.
With Nissaya’s rules to guide my stay,
Yet felt a call to walk away.

The days were filled with lessons deep,
Commitments strict, demands to keep.
Yet knowledge gained began to fade,
Like echoes lost where memories laid.

The pātimokkha, learned with care,
And catubhāṇavāra I did prepare.
Yet Pāḷi’s voice was hard to find,
Its depth still distant in my mind.

A change was needed—this I knew,
A gentler way to learn what’s true.
At Kelaniya, I set my aim,
To seek the path beyond a name.

For wisdom grows in many ways,
Not just through rigid, endless days.
A monk must walk the path that’s right,
With insight clear and heart kept light.

Youtube video

Below is a video I made with more details about why I had left IIT.

• 6-Year-Program
• Catubhāṇavāra
• Kelaniya
• Nissaya Muttaka
• International-Institute-of-Theravada
• Sri Lanka
• Bhikkhu Pātimokkha