Taking Notes

While you can use the Vinaya Bookshelf as a “read only” collection of offline reference materials, you unlock its full potential by also using it as a place to take and keep your own notes about the Vinaya.

New Notes link

To create a new note:

1. Open the Quick Switcher
   • On Desktop, type the ctrl/cmd + O shortcut
   • Or click the find_in_page Quick Switcher Ribbon button.
   • On Mobile, click the add plus button in the bottom center
2. Type a unique name for your new note
   • This will be used as the note’s title and filename.
   • New notes should be about one specific concept and the title should convey that:
   • Good titles ✅:
     • “Afternoon allowables at Wat Pa Baan Taad”
     • “The independence of each community”
     • “How much Vinaya to teach a candidate”
   • Bad titles ❌:
     • “Pacittiya 4”
       • There’s already a note about “Pacittiya 4” in the Canon (Pali) module. Your note should say something specific about the rule and link to the canonical note instead.
     • “Eating”
       • This is probably too broad. To create a “hub” for many notes about a broad topic, consider using hashtags instead.
3. Hit Enter to create the new note and begin editing it

The new note will be created in your notes module.

Writing Notes link

Obsidian notes are written in Markdown.

The most powerful feature of Obsidian Markdown is its ability to link notes together.

To create a link in your note, type [[ followed by the name of the note you want to link to. A typeahead will appear with suggestions you can click to create the link.

It is recommended that you link to the rule note of any rule related to the note you’re writing. For example, if you’re writing about “How much Vinaya to teach a candidate” you might link that note to Bu Pc 4 (Teaching by Rote) and discuss how that rule might be held in the context of preparing a candidate for ordination. The Backlinks Plugin will ensure that this note shows up whenever you look at Bu Pc 4 in the future.

Organizing your notes link

How you organize your notes is entirely up to you!

Some people will keep all their notes in a single folder, some will organize them by how polished they are (Questions, Class Notes, Permanent Notes, etc.), some people will organize them by topic (Food, Lodgings, Medicine, etc), etc. There is no “right way” to organize your notes. The beauty of Obsidian and its vast plugin ecosystem is that you can (almost) always find a way to make Obsidian work for your style.