“I allow that extra robe-cloth (a spare robe) be kept/worn for ten days at most.”—
Mv.VIII.13.7
“I allow that extra robe-cloth (a spare robe) be placed under shared ownership.”—
Mv.VIII.13.8
Making Robes: Sewing Instructions
“I allow three robes: a double-layer outer robe, a single-layer upper robe, a single-layer
lower robe.”—Mv.VIII.13.5
“I allow a cut-up outer robe, a cut-up upper robe, a cut-up lower robe.”—Mv.VIII.12.2
“When the cloths are undamaged, or their damage is repaired, I allow a double-layer
outer robe, a single-layer upper robe, a single-layer lower robe; when the cloths are
weathered [C: ragged from being kept a long time] and worn, a four-layer outer robe,
a double-layer upper robe, a double-layer lower robe. An effort may be made, as much
as you need, with regard to cast-off cloth and shop-remnant cloth. I allow a patch [C: a
patch after cutting out old, damaged cloth], stitching, folding, sealing (§), reinforcing [C:
a patch without removing old damaged cloth] (§).”—Mv.VIII.14.2
“I allow that a rough stitch be made .… I allow that the uneven edge be removed .… I
allow a border and a binding (for the edge of the border) .… I allow a network of
stitches (darning).”—Mv.VIII.21.1
“One should not wear robes that have not been cut up. Whoever should wear one: an
offense of wrong doing.”—Mv.VIII.11.2
“I allow two cut-up robes, one not cut up .… I allow two robes not cut up, one cut up …
I allow that a seam-strip (§) be added. But a completely uncut-up (set of robes) should
not be worn. Whoever should wear it: an offense of wrong doing.”—Mv.VIII.21.2
“I allow a fastener (for the robe), a loop to tie it with” .… “One should not use fancy
robe fasteners. Whoever should use one: an offense of wrong doing. I allow that they
be made of bone, ivory, horn, reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit (§) (e.g., coconut
shell), copper (metal), conch-shell, or thread” …. “I allow a cloth backing for the
fastener, a cloth backing for the tying loop” .… “I allow that the cloth backing for the
fasteners be put at the edge of the robe; the cloth backing for the tying loops, seven or
eight fingerbreadths in from the edge.”—Cv.V.29.3
Making Other Cloth Requisites
“I allow rains-bathing cloths.”—Mv.VIII.15.15
“I allow a sitting cloth for protecting the body, protecting one’s robes, protecting the
lodging.”—Mv.VIII.16.1
Is a sitting cloth without a border permissible?
That is not permissible.
Where is it objected to?
In S›vatthı, in the Sutta Vibhaºga (Pc 89)

What offense is committed?
A p›cittiya involving cutting down.—Cv.XII.2.8
“I allow felt” …. “Felt is neither to be determined nor placed under shared
ownership.”—Cv.V.19.1
“One should not be without (separated from) a sitting cloth for four months. Whoever
should do so: an offense of wrong doing.”—Cv.V.18
“I allow that a sheet be made as large as one wants.”—Mv.VIII.16.4
“I allow a skin-eruption covering cloth for anyone with rashes, pustules, running sores,
or thick scab diseases.”—Mv.VIII.17
“I allow a bandage.”—Mv.VI.14.5
“I allow a handkerchief (cloth for wiping the face/mouth).”—Mv.VIII.18
“I allow requisite-cloth.”—Mv.VIII.20.1
“I allow a bag for medicine.” “I allow a thread for tying the mouth of the bag as a
carrying strap (§).” “I allow a bag for sandals.” “I allow a thread for tying the mouth of
the bag as a carrying strap.”—Cv.V.12
“I allow a knee strap (§) for one who is ill” …. (How it is to be made:) “I allow a loom,
shuttles, strings, tickets, and all accessories for a loom.”—Cv.V.28.2
Making Robes: Sewing Equipment
“I allow a small knife (a blade), a piece of felt (to wrap around it)” .… “I allow a small
knife with a handle” .… “One should not use fancy small-knife-handles (§). Whoever
should use one: an offense of wrong doing. I allow that they be made of bone, ivory,
horn, reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), or
conch-shell.”—Cv.V.11.1
“I allow a needle” …. “I allow a needle-tube” …. The needles got rusty. “I allow that
(the tube) be filled with yeast” …. “I allow that (the tube) be filled with dried meal” ….
“I allow powdered stone” …. “I allow that it (the powdered stone) be pounded with
beeswax” …. The powdered stone cracked. “I allow a cloth smeared with beeswax for
tying up the powdered stone.”—Cv.V.11.2
“I allow a thimble” …. “One should not use fancy thimbles. Whoever should use one:
an offense of wrong doing. I allow that they be made of bone, ivory, horn, reed,
bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), or conch-shell.”
Needles, small knives, thimbles got lost. “I allow a small container (for storing these
things). The small containers got disordered. “I allow a bag for thimbles.” “I allow
thread for tying the mouth of the bag as a carrying strap (§).”—Cv.V.11.5
“I allow a ka˛hina frame, cords for the ka˛hina frame, and that a robe be sewn having
tied it down at intervals there.” [C: “Ka˛hina frame” includes mats, etc., to be spread on
top of the frame. “Cords” = strings used to tie cloth to the frame when sewing a
double-layer robe.] …. “A ka˛hina frame should not be set up on an uneven place.
Whoever should do so: an offense of wrong doing” …. “I allow a grass mat (to be

placed under the ka˛hina frame)” …. The frame got worn. “I allow a binding for the
edge (§)” …. The frame was not the right size (§) [C: too big for the robe being made].
“I allow a stick-frame, a ‘splitting’ (§) [C: folding the edges of the mat to a double
thickness to put them in line with the smaller frame], a slip of wood [C: for placing
between two layers of cloth], and, having tied the tying cords [C: for tying a smaller
frame to a larger frame] and tying threads [C: for tying the cloth to the smaller frame],
that a robe be sewn” …. The spaces between the threads were unequal .… “I allow a
ruler (§).” The stitching was crooked .… “I allow a marking thread.”—Cv.V.11.3
“A ka˛hina frame is not to be stepped on with unwashed feet. Whoever should do so:
an offense of wrong doing. A ka˛hina frame is not to be stepped on with wet feet.
Whoever should do so: an offense of wrong doing. A ka˛hina frame is not to be
stepped on with sandaled (feet). Whoever should do so: an offense of wrong doing.”—
Cv.V.11.4
“I allow a hall for the ka˛hina-frame, a building for the ka˛hina-frame” …. “I allow that
it be made high off the ground” …. “I allow three kinds of pilings to be put up: made of
brick, made of stone, made of wood” …. “I allow three kinds of staircases: a staircase
made of brick, made of stone, made of wood” …. “I allow a stair railing” …. “I allow
that, having lashed on (a roof), it be plastered inside and out with plaster—white, black,
or ochre (§)—with garland designs, creeper designs, dragon-teeth designs, five-petaled
designs (§), a pole for hanging up robe material (or robes), a cord for hanging up robe
material (or robes).”—Cv.V.11.6
“I allow that the ka˛hina frame be folded (rolled) up” …. “I allow that the ka˛hina frame
be rolled up around a stick” …. “I allow a cord for tying it up” …. “I allow that it be
hung from a peg in the wall or an elephant-tusk peg.”—Cv.V.11.7
Making Robes: Dyeing
“I allow six kinds of dye: root-dye, stem (wood) dye, bark-dye, leaf-dye, flower-dye,
fruit-dye.”—Mv.VIII.10.1
“I allow a little dye-pot in which to boil the dye .… I allow that a collar (§) be tied on to
prevent boiling over .… I allow that a drop be placed in water or on the back of the
fingernail (to test whether the dye is fully boiled or not).”—Mv.VIII.10.2
“I allow a dye-scoop, a ladle with a handle .… I allow a dyeing basin, a dyeing pot .… I
allow a dyeing trough.”—Mv.VIII.10.3
“I allow a grass matting (on which to dry dyed cloth) .… I allow a pole for the robe, a
cord (clothesline) for the robe .… I allow that it (the cloth) be tied at the corners .… I
allow a thread/string for tying the corners” .… The dye dripped to one side. “I allow
that it take the dye being turned back and forth, and that one not leave until the drips
have become discontinuous (§).”—Mv.VIII.11.1
“I allow that (stiff dyed cloth) be soaked in water .… I allow that (harsh dyed cloth) be
beaten with the hand.”—Mv.VIII.11.2
Dressing

“Nakedness, a sectarian observance, is not to be followed. Whoever follows it: a grave
offense.”—Mv.VIII.28.1
“I allow three kinds of covering (to count as covering for the body): sauna-covering,
water-covering, cloth-covering.”—Cv.V.16.2
“A kusa-grass garment … a bark-fiber garment … a garment of bark pieces … a
human hair blanket … a horse tail-hair blanket … owls’ wings … black antelope hide,
(each of which is) a sectarian uniform, should not be worn. Whoever should wear one:
a grave offense.”—Mv.VIII.28.2
“A garment made of swallow-wort stalks … of makaci fibers (§) should not be worn.
Whoever should wear one: an offense of wrong doing.”—Mv.VIII.28.3
“Robes that are entirely blue (or green) should not be worn. Robes that are entirely
yellow … entirely blood-red … entirely crimson … entirely black … entirely orange …
entirely beige (§) should not be worn. Robes with uncut borders … long borders …
floral borders … snakes’ hood borders should not be worn. Jackets/corsets, tirıta-tree
garments … turbans should not be worn. Whoever should wear one: an offense of
wrong doing.”—Mv.VIII.29
“Woolen cloth with the fleece on the outside should not be worn. Whoever should
wear it: an offense of wrong doing.”—Cv.V.4
“Householders’ lower garments (ways of wearing lower cloth)—the ‘elephant’s trunk,’
the ‘fish’s tail,’ the four corners hanging down, the palmyra-leaf fan arrangement, the
100 pleats arrangement—are not to be worn. Whoever should wear them: an offense of
wrong doing” …. “Householders’ upper garments are not to be worn. Whoever should
wear them: an offense of wrong doing.”—Cv.V.29.4
“A loincloth is not to be worn. Whoever should wear one: an offense of wrong
doing.”—Cv.V.29.5
“One should not sit with the outer robe tied as a strap to hold up the knees (§).
Whoever should do so: an offense of wrong doing” …. “I allow a knee strap (§) for one
who is ill.”—Cv.V.28.2
“One should not enter a village with just an upper and lower robe. Whoever does so:
an offense of wrong doing.”—Mv.VIII.23.1
“There are these five reasons for putting aside the outer robe … upper robe … lower
robe: One is ill, there is sign of rain, one is crossing a river, the dwelling is protected
with a latch, or the ka˛hina has been spread. These are the five reasons for putting aside
the outer robe … upper robe … lower robe.
“There are these five reasons for putting aside the rains-bathing cloth: One is ill, one is
going outside the territory, one is crossing a river, the dwelling is protected with a latch,
the rains-bathing cloth is not made or is unfinished. These are the five reasons for
putting aside the rains-bathing cloth.”—Mv.VIII.23.3

“A village is not to be entered by one not wearing a waistband. I allow a waistband.”—
Cv.V.29.1
“One should not wear fancy waistbands—those with many strands, those like a watersnake head, those braided like tambourine frames, those like chains. Whoever should
wear one: an offense of wrong doing. I allow two kinds of waistbands: cloth strips and
‘pig entrails.’ …. The border wore out. “I allow (that the border) be braided like a
tambourine frame or like a chain” …. The ends wore out. “I allow that they be sewn
back and knotted in a loop” …. The loops wore out. “I allow a belt fastener” …. “One
should not use fancy belt fasteners. Whoever should use one: an offense of wrong
doing. I allow that they be made of bone, ivory, horn, reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin),
fruit (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), conch-shell, or thread.”—Cv.V.29.2

C HA P TE R THR E E

Alms Bowls & Other Accessories
Alms bowls. The alms bowl is another requisite that a candidate for ordination must
have before he can be accepted into the Community as a bhikkhu (Mv.I.70.1). Bowls
made either of clay or iron are allowed, while bowls made of or with the following
materials are prohibited: gold, silver, gems, lapis lazuli, crystal, bronze, glass, tin, lead,
or copper. The Commentary extrapolates from these prohibitions to state that gold
serving-vessels of any kind shouldn’t even be touched, whereas serving-vessels of the
other substances—although they should not be used as one’s own personal property—
are all right to use if they are Community property or remain the property of a lay
person. It also states that the word copper in the prohibition covers copper alloys,
although other serving-vessels made of copper alloys are all right to use (even as one’s
own personal property, apparently). At present, stainless steel alms bowls are allowed
because they come under iron, whereas aluminum alms bowls are not, because
aluminum is weak like tin. Lacquer bowls are classified under “clay” bowls in Burma,
but not in other Therav›da countries.
The Commentary to Pr 2 insists that the bowl not be painted or incised with writing
or other decorations, or polished to the point of being “glossy like a gem.” If it is, one
must scrape off the decorations or spoil the gloss before using it. However, that same
section of the Commentary states that an “oil-colored” bowl is acceptable. This
apparently refers to the practice of coating an iron bowl with oil before firing it to give
it a glossy protective surface.
The stipulations for determining a bowl for use are discussed under NP 21.
In addition to the rules against using bowls made of prohibited materials, there are
rules against going for alms with a gourd or a water pot, and against using a skull as a
bowl.
Now at that time a certain bhikkhu was one who used nothing but thrown
away things. He carried a skull as a bowl. A woman, seeing him, screamed
out in terror: “My god, what a demon this is!” People criticized and
complained and spread it about, “How can these Sakyan-son monks carry a
skull as a bowl, like goblins?” (§—following the Sub-commentary for the last
sentence, and the Thai and Sri Lankan editions of the Canon for the reading
pis›co vat›yanti in the woman’s scream).
To protect the bowl from being scratched, one is allowed a circular bowl rest made
either of tin or of lead. Many Communities interpret these two materials as setting the
limits for the fanciest materials allowable for such a rest, and so they regard bamboo,
wood, and other less valuable materials as allowable, too. There is an explicit
prohibition against using bowl rests made from fancy materials or decorated with little

figures or other ornamentation. Bowl rests may be planed to fit tightly with the bowl,
and dragon teeth may be cut in them to keep them from slipping.
The Canon does not mention lids for bowls, although these are now used
universally throughout Therav›din countries. The Great Standards would seem to
apply here in not allowing them to be made from fancy materials or to be decorated
with little figures or other ornamentation, but for some reason the Commentary to Pr 2
allows them to be decorated. It doesn’t explain why.
There is a strict etiquette in using, washing, and storing the bowl. Scraps, bones, and
waste water should not be thrown away in the bowl. A waste receptacle is allowed for
this purpose. According to the Commentary, waste water here means water used to
rinse the mouth, but it also covers water used for washing the hands or feet. The
Commentary goes on to say that, when eating, one may put down the remainder of
half-eaten food in the bowl, but not if it has already been in the mouth.
When the bowl has been washed, it should be put away only after having been
dried (in the sun, if the sun is out). Before drying it in the sun, one should first pour out
and wipe away any water in it. And one should not leave it in the sun longer than is
needed to ensure that it is fully dry.
To avoid dropping the bowl, one should not open a door while carrying a bowl in
one’s hand. According to the Commentary, this prohibition covers opening the door
with any part of one’s body; opening a door includes opening the latch or the lock; in
one’s hand means supported by any part of one’s body (as, for example, holding the
bowl between the knees), although there is an exception if the bowl is hanging by a
strap from one’s shoulder.
To prevent damage to the bowl, one should not leave it aside at the edge of a ledge
(and, by extension, a table), at the edge of a small ledge outside a wall, on a bed, a
bench, an umbrella, or on one’s lap. (“Now at that time, bhikkhus left their bowls on
their laps; in a lapse of mindfulness, they got up. The bowls broke.”) The bowl should
also not be hung up (e.g., from a strap over a hook or from a peg in the wall). The
Commentary notes that if a ledge is wide enough so that the bowl, if tipped over,
would remain on the ledge, one is permitted to place it there. The same allowance
would apply to placing a bowl on a table as well. The Commentary also states that one
may leave the bowl on one’s lap if the bowl is hanging from one’s shoulder by a strap.
Different Communities differ in how they interpret the rule against leaving the bowl
on one’s lap. Some interpret the word leaving as meaning holding the bowl on one’s lap
without at the same time holding it with one’s hand, and apply it to the way one dries
the bowl. Some interpret the word lap as meaning the lap formed when sitting on a
chair or similar piece of furniture, and not the lap formed when sitting cross-legged on
the floor. Others include the cross-legged lap under the word lap here, and insist that
one should kneel on the ground, for example, while drying the bowl and refrain from
placing the bowl on the lap in any way.
A bowl may be stored on a mat or a piece of cloth. For further protection one is
allowed to store it in a bowl-holder, a bowl-shelf, or a bowl-chest. According to the
Commentary, the bowl-holder is something placed on the ground, and may be made

of creepers, sticks, or wood. It notes that one should not stack more than three bowls
on top of one another in a bowl-holder. As for the bowl-chest, it says that it may be
made of wood or brick/tile. One is also allowed a bowl-bag for storing the bowl in any
of these places, although the Commentary to Pr 2 insists that the bag not be decorated.
The Commentary to Cv.V states that if there are no mats, cloths, holders, shelves,
or chests, one may place a bowl—always upside down—on sand or on a floor that
won’t scratch or otherwise harm it. It imposes a dukka˛a for leaving the bowl on a
hard, scratchy floor, on dirt, or on dust. This is probably based on the incoming
bhikkhu’s duties (see Chapter 9): “When putting away the bowl, take the bowl in one
hand, feel under the bed or bench with the other hand, and place the bowl there, but do
not place it on bare ground.”
Footwear. The Canon mentions two kinds of footwear, leather footwear (upahana)
and non-leather footwear (p›duka). Generally speaking, leather footwear—of very
specific sorts—is allowable, while non-leather is not. At present, using the Great
Standards, rubber is included under leather for the purposes of these rules.
Leather footwear. A bhikkhu in the middle Ganges Valley may wear new leather
sandals only if the soles are made from a single layer of leather. He may wear multilayer sandals if they are cast-off, which according to the Commentary means that they
have been worn (presumably, by someone else) at least once. Outside of the middle
Ganges Valley, one may wear multi-layer sandals even if they are new.
Sandals may not be worn if the soles or the straps are entirely blue (or green),
entirely yellow, entirely blood-red, entirely crimson, entirely black, entirely orange, or
entirely beige. According to the Commentary, if one takes a cloth and wipes the soles
and straps with dye to spoil the color, even if only a little, the sandals will then be
acceptable. At present, one may use a pen to mark them to serve the same purpose.
The following types of footwear, even when made with leather, are not allowed:
footwear with heel-coverings (such as sandals with heel straps), boots (or sandals with
straps up the calf), shoes, footwear stuffed with cotton (or kapok), decorated with
partridge (or quail) wings, with toes pointed like rams’ horns, with toes pointed like
goats’ horns, with toes pointed like scorpion tails, footwear with peacock feathers sewn
around it, and other types of decorated footwear. Also not allowed is leather footwear
embellished with lion skin, tiger skin, panther skin, black antelope skin, otter skin, cat
skin, squirrel skin, or flying fox skin. The Commentary states that if one removes the
offensive part of the footwear, one is allowed to wear what remains. It also states that
the allowance for new multi-layer leather footwear in outlying areas implies that all
skins (except human skin) are allowable for footwear there as well, but it is hard to
understand why this would be so.
As bhikkhus come to the West, the question inevitably arises as to whether boots
and shoes should be allowed during colder weather, especially when there is snow.
Although there is no specific allowance for using any of these types of footwear when
ill (or when illness threatens), there is the precedence of the Buddha’s allowing multilayer leather footwear outside of the Ganges Valley because the ground in outlying
areas was rocky and rough. Taking this as a precedent, it seems reasonable to assume

that there should be similar allowances for appropriate footwear in areas where there is
ice and snow.
The original intent of allowing leather footwear was apparently for use in the
wilderness, for there are rules allowing its use in inhabited areas only when ill (in a way
that would be aggravated by going barefoot), and in monasteries only when one’s feet
are split, when one is suffering from corns, or when one plans to get up on a bed or
bench. (What this last allowance apparently means is that, prior to getting up on a bed
or bench, a bhikkhu walking on the ground or a dirt floor may wear leather footwear
to keep his feet from getting dirty, but when actually getting up on the bed or bench he
should remove his footwear.) Eventually, however, leather footwear was generally
allowed in monastery grounds (but not in dwellings or other buildings with treated
floors, and not on furniture) even without these special circumstances. The
Commentary, however, indicates that footwear should be removed in the vicinity of
stÒpas and other places deserving respect.
Non-leather footwear. The only allowable types of non-leather footwear are the shoes
kept in urinals, privies, and rinsing-rooms (rooms where one wipes oneself clean after
using a restroom). The Commentary indicates that this allowance refers to footrests
fixed permanently on the floor in these places, and the rules covering these places
(Cv.V.35.2-4, see Chapter 7; Cv.VIII.10.3, see Chapter 9) suggest that this is so: The
footrests are designed to make it more comfortable while urinating, defecating, and
rinsing oneself off.
Non-leather footwear meant for walking is not allowed under any circumstances.
Under this category the Canon lists the following: wooden footwear, woven palmyraleaf footwear, woven bamboo footwear, footwear woven of grass, footwear woven of
muñja grass, woven of reeds, woven of marshy date-palm, woven of lotus fibers,
knitted from wool, footwear made with gold, silver, gems, lapis lazuli, crystal, bronze,
glass (mirrors), tin, lead, or copper. The prohibition against footwear knitted from wool
raises the question of socks. Using the Great Standards, the allowance for appropriate
footwear in outlying-districts, mentioned above, has been applied here as well.
Water strainers. A water strainer is another basic requisite, used to provide clean
water and to protect small beings in the water from being harmed (see Pc 20 & 62).
Three kinds of personal water strainers are allowed, although the first is not defined in
any of the texts: a water strainer, a ladle strainer (according to the Commentary, this
consists of three sticks tied together as a frame for the straining cloth), a water strainer
cylinder (somewhat like a can with one end open, covered with straining cloth, and a
small hole on the other end). The Commentary to Pr 2 insists that water strainers not
have painted or incised decorations.
Cv.V.13.3 tells the following cautionary tale:
Now at that time two bhikkhus were traveling along a main road among the
Kosalans. One of them indulged in bad habits. The other said, “Don’t do that sort
of thing, my friend. It’s not proper.” The (first) bhikkhu carried a grudge. Then
the (second) bhikkhu, overcome with thirst, said to the bhikkhu carrying the
grudge, “Give me your water strainer, my friend. I want to take a drink.” The