“Even though, to bind it together, they mix flour or ashes (§) into sugar lumps and it
still counts as sugar, I allow that sugar be consumed as much as you like.”—Mv.VI.16.1
“I allow sugar lumps for a bhikkhu who is ill, and sugar-lump water for one who is not
ill.”—Mv.VI.27
“I allow that tallow-medicine—i.e., tallow from bears, tallow from fish, tallow from
alligators, tallow from pigs, tallow from donkeys—be consumed as oil if received in the
right time, rendered in the right time, and filtered (§) in the right time.”—Mv.VI.2.1
Life-long Medicines
“I allow that, having accepted root-medicine—i.e., turmeric, ginger, sweet flag, white
orris root, ativisa, black hellebore, khus-khus, nut-grass, or whatever other roots are
medicines and do not serve, among non-staple food, the purpose of non-staple food;
or, among staple food, the purpose of staple food—one may keep it for life and, when
there is reason, consume it. If there is no reason, there is an offense of wrong doing for
one who consumes it.”—Mv.VI.3.1
“Garlic should not be eaten. Whoever should eat it: an offense of wrong doing” .… “I
allow that garlic be eaten in the case of illness.”—Cv.V.34.1-2
“I allow a grindstone and a grinding wheel.”—Mv.VI.3.2
“I allow that, having accepted astringent-decoction medicine—i.e., astringent decoctions
from the neem-tree, from the ku˛aja, from the pakkava, from the nattam›la, or
whatever other astringent decoctions are medicines and do not serve, among nonstaple food, the purpose of non-staple food; or, among staple food, the purpose of
staple food—one may keep it for life and, when there is reason, consume it. If there is
no reason, there is an offense of wrong doing for one who consumes it.”—Mv.VI.4
“I allow that, having accepted leaf-medicine—i.e., neem leaves, ku˛aja leaves, cucumber
leaves, basil leaves, cotton tree leaves, or whatever other leaves are medicines and do
not serve, among non-staple food, the purpose of non-staple food; or, among staple
food, the purpose of staple food—one may keep it for life and, when there is reason,
consume it. If there is no reason, there is an offense of wrong doing for one who
consumes it.”—Mv.VI.5
“I allow that, having accepted fruit-medicine—i.e., vilaºga, long pepper, black pepper,
yellow myrobalan, beleric myrobalan, embric myrobalan, go˛ha, or whatever other
fruits are medicines and do not serve, among non-staple food, the purpose of nonstaple food; or, among staple food, the purpose of staple food—one may keep it for life
and, when there is reason, consume it. If there is no reason, there is an offense of
wrong doing for one who consumes it.”—Mv.VI.6
“I allow that, having accepted resin-medicine—i.e., assafoetida, assafoetida-resin,
assafoetida-gum, gum, gum-patti, gum-panni, or whatever other resins are medicines
and do not serve, among non-staple food, the purpose of non-staple food; or, among
staple food, the purpose of staple food—one may keep it for life and, when there is

reason, consume it. If there is no reason, there is an offense of wrong doing for one
who consumes it.”—Mv.VI.7
“I allow that, having accepted salt-medicine—i.e., sea salt, black salt, rock salt, culinary
salt, red salt, or whatever other salts are medicines and do not serve, among non-staple
food, the purpose of non-staple food; or, among staple food, the purpose of staple
food—one may keep it for life and, when there is reason, consume it. If there is no
reason, there is an offense of wrong doing for one who consumes it.”—Mv.VI.8
Specific Treatments
“I allow powders as medicines for one who has an itch, a small boil, a running sore, or
an affliction of thick scabs; or for one whose body smells bad; I allow (powdered) dung,
clay, and dye-dregs for one who is not ill. I allow a pestle and mortar.”—Mv.VI.9.2
“I allow a powder sifter .… I allow a cloth sifter.”—Mv.VI.10.1
“I allow, for one who is afflicted (possessed) by non-human beings, raw flesh and raw
blood.”—Mv.VI.10.2
“I allow (eye) ointments: black collyrium, rasa-ointment (made with vitriol?), sotaointment (made with antimony?), yellow orpiment (§), lamp-black” .… “I allow (mixed
in the ointments) sandalwood, tagara, benzoin gum, t›lısa, nut-grass.”—Mv.VI.11.2
“I allow an ointment box” .… “One should not use fancy ointment boxes. Whoever
does: an offense of wrong doing. I allow (ointment boxes) made of bone, ivory, horn,
reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit (§) (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), or conchshell.”—Mv.VI.12.1
“I allow a lid” .… “I allow, having tied it with thread/string, to tie it to the ointmentbox” .… “(An ointment box became split) I allow it to be bound together with
thread/string.”—Mv.VI.12.2
“I allow an ointment stick” .… “One should not use fancy ointment sticks. Whoever
does: an offense of wrong doing. I allow (ointment sticks) made of bone, ivory, horn,
reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit (§) (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), or conchshell.”—Mv.VI.12.3
“I allow a case for (ointment) sticks” .… “I allow a bag for the ointment box” .… “I
allow a string for tying the mouth of the bag as a carrying strap.”—Mv.VI.12.4
“I allow oil for the head” .… “I allow treatment through the nose” .… “I allow a nosetube (or nose-spoon)” .… “One should not use fancy nose tubes. Whoever does: an
offense of wrong doing. I allow (nose tubes) made of bone, ivory, horn, reed, bamboo,
wood, lac (resin), fruit (§) (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), or conch-shell.”—
Mv.VI.13.1
“I allow a double nose-tube” .… “I allow that smoke be inhaled” .… “I allow a tube for
inhaling smoke” .… “One should not use fancy smoke-inhaling tubes. Whoever does:
an offense of wrong doing. I allow (smoke-inhaling tubes) made of bone, ivory, horn,
reed, bamboo, wood, lac (resin), fruit (§) (e.g., coconut shell), copper (metal), or conch-

shell” .… “I allow a lid (for the smoke-inhaling tubes)” .… “I allow a bag for the smokeinhaling tubes” .… “I allow a double bag” .… “I allow a string for tying the mouth of
the bag as a carrying strap.”—Mv.VI.13.1
(For wind afflictions): “I allow a decoction of oil” .… “I allow that alcohol be mixed in
the decoction of oil” .… “Oil mixed with too much alcohol should not be drunk.
Whoever drinks it is to be dealt with in accordance with the rule (Pc 51). I allow that
when neither the color, the smell, nor the taste of alcohol can be detected in the
decoction of oil, this sort of oil mixed with alcohol may be drunk.”—Mv.VI.14.1
(When too much alcohol has been mixed with oil): “I allow that it be determined as
rubbing-oil” .… “I allow (for oil) three kinds of flasks: a metal flask, a wood flask, a fruit
flask.”—Mv.VI.14.2
(For wind affliction in the limbs): “I allow a sweating treatment” .… “I allow a sweating
treatment with herbs … a ‘great-sweating’ treatment … hemp water … a water tub.”—
Mv.VI.14.3
(For wind afflictions in the joints): “I allow blood-letting … moxibustion (§)” .… (For
split feet): “I allow rubbing oil for the feet .… I allow that a foot salve be prepared” .…
(For boils): “I allow lancing (surgery) .… I allow astringent water .… I allow pounded
sesame paste.”—Mv.VI.14.4
(For boils, continued): “I allow a compress … a bandage … that it be sprinkled with
mustard-seed powder (to prevent itching)” .… “I allow fumigating” .… “I allow that
(scar-tissue) be cut off with a piece of salt-crystal” .… “I allow oil for the sore/wound”
.… “I allow an old piece of cloth for soaking up the oil and every kind of treatment for
sores/ wounds.”—Mv.VI.14.5
(For snakebite): “I allow that the four great filthy things be given: excrement, urine,
ashes, clay” .… “I allow, when there is someone to make them allowable, that one have
him make them allowable; when there is no one to make them allowable, that having
taken them oneself one consume them” .… (For drinking poison): “I allow that water
mixed with excrement be drunk” .… “I allow (excrement) that one received while
making it as having been received in and of itself (§). It does not need to be received
again.”—Mv.VI.14.6
(For drinking a sorcery concoction): “ I allow that mud turned up by the plow be
drunk” .… (For constipation): “I allow that alkaline juice be drunk” .… (For jaundice): “I
allow that urine and yellow myrobalan be drunk” .… (For skin disease): “I allow that a
scented rubbing be done” .… (For a body full of bad humors): “I allow that a purgative
be drunk” .… (After taking a purgative) “I allow clarified conjey .… I allow clear green
gram broth .… I allow slightly thick green gram broth .… I allow meat broth.”—
Mv.VI.14.7
“I allow that a bhikkhu who is ill may consume lo˚asovıraka (lo˚asocıraka) as much as he
likes, and that one who is not ill may consume it mixed with water as a beverage.”—
Mv.VI.16.3

Medical Procedures
“Surgery should not be done in the crotch. Whoever should do it (have it done): a
grave offense.”—Mv.VI.22.3
“Surgery and hemorrhoid removal (§) should not be done within the area two inches
around the crotch. Whoever should do it (have it done): a grave offense.”—Mv.VI.22.4
[Included in the Burmese & PTS editions, but not the Thai or Sri Lankan editions: “I
allow the letting of blood.”]—Cv.V.6
The Great Standards
“Whatever I have not objected to, saying, ‘This is not allowable,’ if it conforms with
what is not allowable, if it goes against (literally, “preempts”) what is allowable, this is
not allowable for you. Whatever I have not objected to, saying, ‘This is not allowable,’ if
it conforms with what is allowable, if it goes against what is not allowable, this is
allowable for you. And whatever I have not permitted, saying, ‘This is allowable,’ if it
conforms with what is not allowable, if it goes against what is allowable, this is not
allowable for you. And whatever I have not permitted, saying, ‘This is allowable,’ if it
conforms with what is allowable, if it goes against what is not allowable, this is
allowable for you.”—Mv.VI.40.1

C HA P TE R SIX

Lodgings
The Pali word sen›sana—literally meaning “sleeping place and sitting place” and
translated here as “lodging”—covers outdoor resting spots, buildings used as
dwellings, and the items used to furnish dwellings. This chapter covers all three aspects
of the word, together with the etiquette to follow with respect to dwellings and
furnishings. The protocols for looking after lodgings are discussed in Chapter 9; the
procedures to follow in assigning lodgings, in Chapter 18.
Outdoor resting spots. A bhikkhu’s basic support in terms of lodging is a tree-root
(rukkha-mÒla—see Mv.I.30.4), which the commentaries interpret as the area shaded by a
tree when the sun is overhead at noon. The Sub-commentary expands on this topic by
mentioning other suitable outdoor spots for meditation, many of which are mentioned
in the suttas: a mountain or boulder, a mountain cleft, a forest grove or wilderness,
under the open sky (making a tent of one’s robe), a hay stack, a cave, a watch-tower
platform, an open pavilion, a bamboo thicket, a tent.
Dwellings. The Canon allows five kinds of lodgings used as dwellings: a vih›ra
(usually translated as “dwelling”; the Commentary says it covers all kinds of buildings
aside from the following four), a barrel-vaulted building, a multi-storied building, a
gabled building, and a cell. The Commentary defines a gabled building as a multistoried building with a gabled pavilion on top of a flat roof; as for the cell, it simply says
that this may be made of brick, stone, wood, or earth. At present, concrete blocks
would come under the category of brick. Given the way the Commentary defines
vih›ra, it would seem that no style of building would be forbidden as a dwelling,
although the Vibhaºga to Pr 2 contains a rule imposing a dukka˛a on the act of building
a hut entirely of earth. This the Commentary interprets as a hut fashioned of clay like a
large jar and then fired. The Vibhaºga to Pr 2 goes on to quote the Buddha as ordering
the bhikkhus to destroy such a hut; and from this the Commentary gives permission
for bhikkhus to destroy any bhikkhu’s hut built in an inappropriate way or an
improper place. The example it gives is of a hut that a bhikkhu builds in a territory
without getting permission from the resident senior bhikkhus in that territory (see Sg 6
& 7). It adds, however, that the hut should be dismantled in such a way that the
building materials can be used again. Those who dismantle it should then inform the
offender to take his materials back. If he delays, and the materials get damaged for one
reason or another, the bhikkhus who dismantled the hut are in no way to be held
responsible.
During the Rains-residence, one is not allowed to live in the hollow of a tree, in the
fork of a tree, in the open air, in a non-lodging (according to the Commentary, this
means a place covered with any of the five kinds of allowable facing/roofing but
lacking a door that can be opened and closed), in a charnel house, under a canopy, or in

a large storage vessel. However, there is no rule against living temporarily in any of
these places during the rest of the year.
A bhikkhu building a hut for his own use must follow the additional protocols given
under Sg 6 & 7.
The following allowances give an idea of the construction practices current when the
Khandhakas were composed. As with medicines, the variations of building technology
over time and from place to place require frequent use of the Great Standards to
translate these allowances into a form suitable for present-day needs.
A dwelling may be built high off the ground to prevent flooding. The foundation
and stairway leading up to the dwelling may be made of brick, stone, or wood; and the
stairway may have a railing. The Commentary interprets the allowance for building
“high off the ground” as permission to use landfill as well.
The roof may be lashed on and covered with any of five materials: tiles, stones,
plaster, grass, or leaves. The same materials may be used as a facing on the walls (see Pc
19). The building may be plastered inside and out with any of three kinds of plastering:
white, black, or ochre. Each of these requires different techniques for getting the plaster
to stick to the walls. In all three cases, an undercoating of earth mixed with grain husks
may be put on and spread with a trowel, after which the plaster may be applied. If this
doesn’t work with white plaster, one may put on an undercoating of fine clay, spread it
with a trowel, and then apply the white plaster. Tree sap and wet flour paste may be
used as binding agents. If the basic undercoating doesn’t work for black plaster, one
may apply earthworm clay (excrement), spread it with a trowel, and then apply the
black plaster. Tree sap and astringent decoctions are allowed as binding agents. If the
basic undercoating doesn’t work for ochre plaster, one may apply the red powder from
beneath rice husks mixed with clay, spread it with a trowel, and then apply the ochre
plaster. Mustard seed powder and beeswax oil are allowed as binding agents. If this last
mixture is too thick, it may be wiped off with a cloth.
At present, arguing from the Great Standards, the allowance for plastering extends
to cement plaster as well. Any materials or procedures that would help bind the cement
plaster to a wall would also be allowable.
The plaster may be decorated with four types of designs: garland designs, creeper
designs, dragon-teeth designs, five-petaled designs. According to the Commentary, one
may make these drawings oneself. However, the Canon forbids drawings of male and
female forms. (“Now at that time some group-of-six bhikkhus had an obscene picture
with figures of women and men made in a dwelling. People touring the dwelling, on
seeing it, criticized and complained and spread it about, ‘Just like householders who
partake of sensual pleasures.’”) The Commentary extends this injunction to cover not
only human forms, but also any animal forms, even earthworms (!). One should not
draw these things oneself or get others to draw them, it says, but one may get others to
illustrate inspiring stories such as the J›takas or to draw pictures to inspire dispassion.
There is an allowance for a timber buttress, which the Commentary explains as a
means of holding up an old wall. To keep out rain, eaves are allowed, as well as a paste
of clay, ashes, and cow dung, which apparently is meant to plug leaks. When a snake

fell through a roof onto a bhikkhu underneath, an allowance was made for ceilings and
canopies.
Three kinds of window-openings are allowed: a window with a railing, a window
covered with latticework, and a window with bars. Curtains, window shutters, and
small window mats or bolsters are allowed to keep dust and pests from coming in the
windows. Glass windowpanes were unknown in the Buddha’s time, but are allowable
under the Great Standards.
Doors, doorposts, and lintels are allowed. A small upper dowel is allowed as a hinge
for the door, and a hollow like a mortar for the door-dowel to revolve in may be made
in the lintel. To secure the door, a hole may be made in it and a cord run through the
hole and attached to the doorpost (or to another door, if the doors are double). The
Commentary says that all kinds of cords are allowable here, even tigers’ tails (!). For
greater security in keeping the door closed, bolts and crossbars are allowed, together
with posts to hold them, holes to receive them, and pins to secure them. For still greater
security, keys (made of metal, wood, or horn) are allowed, together with slotted keys,
keyholes, and locks.
For privacy, one is allowed to divide the room inside with a curtain or a half-wall.
Separate rooms—square or rectangular—may be divided off. The private room may be
placed off to one side in a small dwelling, and in the middle of a large dwelling. A
private room may also be made in the rafters. The Commentary defines this as a
gabled room on top of a (flat) roof, but a loft would seem to come under this allowance
as well.
Allowable construction details include a peg or an elephant-tusk on the wall for
hanging bags, a pole for hanging up robes, a cord for hanging up robes, a verandah, a
covered terrace, an inner court, a slat-roofed porch, a moveable (sliding?) screen, and a
screen on rollers.
The area around the dwelling may be fenced with bricks, stones, or wood. The fence
may have a porch that, like the dwelling, may be made high off the ground, plastered
inside and out, and decorated with the four allowable patterns. It may also have a door,
together with all the equipment needed for securing and locking it.
To keep the area around the dwelling from getting muddy, it may be strewn with
gravel or paved with flagstones, and a water drain installed.
A foot wiper may be placed at the entrance, made of stone, stone fragment(s)
(pebbles), or pumice. At present, a foot wiper made of cement would apparently also
be allowable. The purpose of the foot wiper, according to the Commentary to
Cv.V.22.1, is to provide a place to stand on before washing one’s feet or while wiping
or drying them after they are washed. For some reason, an earthenware foot wiper
was considered inappropriate, and so Cv.V.22.1 forbids a bhikkhu from using one.
According to the Commentary to that rule, this means that he is also forbidden from
accepting one.
As mentioned above, these allowances and prohibitions may be extended through
the Great Standards to apply to construction practices at present.

If a dwelling is to be given to a Community, the procedure is to “establish” it for the
Community of the four directions, present and to come. In other words, it becomes the
common property of the entire Saºgha, now and into the future, and not just of the
bhikkhus currently residing in the monastery.
Furnishings. As the Vinaya-mukha points out, this is another area where the Great
Standards have to be kept in mind. Furnishings are divided into two sorts: allowable
and not.
Allowable. Grass matting is allowed, as are the following kinds of beds: a hard-board
bed, a wicker bed (made of twisted (vines?) or woven of bamboo strips, says the
Commentary), a bed or bench with a frame attached to the feet, a bed or bench made
of slats, a bed or bench with curved legs, a bed or bench with detachable legs (see Pc
18), a bed woven of cord or rope, and a bed or bench covered with cloth.
A square seat not large enough to lie down on (›sandika—see Pc 87) is allowable
even if its legs are tall, and the same holds true for a bench with a back and arms. The
Commentary notes that these allowances mean that Pc 87 applies only to non-square
rectangular seats without a back and arms. Other allowable seats include a wicker
bench, a bench plaited with cloth, a ram-legged bench (this the Commentary defines as
a bench with legs fastened on top of wooden blocks), a bench with interlocking legs, a
wooden bench, a stool/chair, and a straw bench.
Five kinds of mattresses/cushions are allowed: stuffed with animal hair, cloth, bark
fibers, grass, or leaves. According to the Commentary, animal hair includes all fur and
feathers except for human hair, as well as woolen cloth used as stuffing. It also cites a
reference to “masuraka” (defined by the Sub-commentary as leather cushions) in the
ancient Kurundı commentary, to assert that these are also allowed. There is no
maximum size for a mattress, so the Commentary recommends sizing it to one’s needs.
Examples it gives: a mattress to cover a bed, one for a bench, one for a floor, one for a
meditation path, and a foot-wiping cushion.
The Canon allows that cloth be used to cover mattresses/ cushions. Here the
Commentary states that all six kinds of cloth allowed for robes are included under this
allowance. The Canon also states that a mattress/cushion may be placed on a
bed/bench only after a cloth underpad has been made and spread there. To identify
mattress/cushion covers in the event that they are stolen, one may make a spot, a
printed mark, or a handprint on it. The Commentary says that the spot may be made
with dye or turmeric, and that the handprint should include all five fingers.
Cloth may be used as an under-pad for such things as floor mats (to protect a
finished floor from getting scratched, the Commentary says). Cotton down—from the
cotton of trees, creepers, or grass—may be used to make pillows (see Pc 88). The
Commentary notes here that these three types of cotton include cotton from all kinds
of plants, and that the five kinds of stuffing allowable for mattresses are also allowed
for pillows. The largest pillow allowed by the Canon is the size of the head. This, the
Commentary says, quoting the Kurundı, means for a triangular pillow, one span and
four fingerbreadths from corner to corner, 1 and 1/2 cubits in length, 1 and 1/4 cubits
in the middle (i.e., in circumference, says the Sub-commentary, but the numbers don’t

add up). The Commentary also states that a bhikkhu who is not ill may use pillows only
for his head and feet, whereas an ill bhikkhu may use many pillows, covered with cloth
like a mattress. The Canon imposes a dukka˛a on a bhikkhu using a pillow half the size
of the body. Cotton batting, as a blanket or bed-covering, may not be used on its own,
but may be combed out into cotton down from which pillows can then be made.
As mentioned in Chapter 3, a mosquito net is allowed.
For some reason, the Commentary to Pr 2—which contains a long list of items that
should not be decorated—allows the following items to be decorated: beds, benches,
chairs, stools, mattresses/ cushions, pillows, floor coverings, drinking glasses, water
flasks, and foot wipers.
Not allowable. The Canon forbids the use of high and great furnishings. Here the
Commentary defines high as above the allowable height (as in Pc 87), and great as
covered with improper coverings and decorations. Examples listed in the Canon
include: a dais (›sandi—a tall square platform, large enough to lie on—see Pc 87), a
throne (pallaºka—a seat with carvings of fierce animals on the feet), a long-haired
coverlet, a decorated coverlet, a white spread made of animal hair, a wool coverlet with
floral designs, a blanket of cotton batting, a wool coverlet decorated with animals, a
wool covering with fleece on both sides, a wool covering with fleece on one side (I
follow the Sub-commentary for these two translations), a silken sheet studded with
jewels (or woven with silver or gold threads), a silken sheet decorated with jewels (or
fringed with silver or gold), a dancer’s carpet, an elephant-back rug, a horse-back rug, a
chariot rug, a spread of black antelope skins, a sheet of kadali-deer hide, a bed with a
canopy above, a bed with red cushions at either end.
With regard to these items, the Commentary says that a plain silken sheet is
allowable, as is a bed with a canopy if it has no improper coverings. As for the bed with
red cushions at either end, this means pillows for the head and feet; if one pillow is red
and the other another color, the bed is allowable.
In a related section, the Canon prohibits lying down to sleep on a high bed. Bed-leg
supports are allowed, but only if they are no more than eight fingerbreadths in height.
One should also not lie down on a bed strewn with flowers. A bhikkhu presented with
scents may make a five-finger mark at the door. If given flowers, he may put them to
one side in the dwelling. As the Vinaya-mukha notes, at present the proper use of
scents and flowers is to place them in front of a Buddha image.
There is a prohibition against using large skins, such as lion skin, tiger skin, or
panther skin. This prohibition was partially relaxed for areas outside of the middle
Ganges Valley, where a bhikkhu may use sheepskin, goatskin, or deerskin spreads.
According to the Commentary, this allowance does not include the skins of monkeys,
kadali deer, or any ferocious beast. In addition to beasts that are obviously ferocious, it
says that this last category includes cattle, buffalo, rabbits, and cats (!). For some reason,
however, the Canon says that a bear hide accruing to the Community—even in the
middle Ganges Valley—may be used as a foot-wiping mat.
There is a separate rule forbidding the use of cowhide or any hide. This prohibition
is not relaxed outside of the Ganges Valley, although two obvious exceptions

everywhere are leather footwear and the leather goods listed as garubha˚˜a in
Chapter 7. The prohibition here seems aimed against hides used as furnishings or as
covering for the body.
If visiting a householder’s home, one is allowed to sit on hides or high or great
furnishings arranged by them (according to the Sub-commentary, this means
belonging to them), with three exceptions: a dais, a throne, or anything covered with
cotton batting. However, one is not permitted to lie down on any of these items. Even
if a piece of furniture has leather bindings, one is allowed to sit on or lean against it.
Cv.VI.14 cites an instance where a multi-storied palace is presented to the
Community, and an allowance is made for “all the appurtenances of a multi-storied
building.” If a dais is included among these, it may be used after its legs are cut down to
the proper length (see Pc 87); if a throne, it may be used after its fierce animal
decorations have been cut off; if a cotton-batting blanket, it may be combed out into
cotton down and made into pillows. Any other unallowable furnishings may be made
into floor cloths.
The Commentary takes this allowance as carte blanche, including under “all the
appurtenances of a multi-storied building” such things as windows, furniture, and fans
embellished with silver or gold; water containers and dippers made of silver or gold;
and beautifully decorated accessories. Any fancy cloths, it says, may be placed on
Dhamma seats under the allowance for “what is arranged by householders;” while any
slaves, fields, or cattle that come along with the building are allowable and
automatically accepted when the building is accepted. This last statement is in direct
contradiction to the S›maññaphala Sutta’s list of items that a virtuous bhikkhu does not
accept:
“He abstains from accepting uncooked grain … raw meat … women and girls …
male and female slaves … goats and sheep … fowl and pigs … elephants, cattle,
steeds, and mares … fields and property.”
In saying that the Community as a whole may accept slaves and cattle, even though
individual bhikkhus may not, the Commentary may be reasoning from the fact that a
Community may own land while an individual bhikkhu may not. Still, in doing so, it is
following a line of thought that allowed the extravagant monastic estates of medieval
Sri Lanka and India to develop, much to the detriment of the Teaching.
A more reasonable interpretation would be to limit appurtenances to inanimate
items, and to apply the rule concerning ›sandis, pallaºkas, and cotton batting to other
fancy items inappropriate for a bhikkhu’s use as well. In other words, they should be
used only after they have been converted into something more appropriate. As for
items that cannot be converted that way, Cv.VI.19 allows that they be exchanged for
something profitable and useful (see the following chapter). Slaves and cattle should not
be regarded as appurtenances to a lodging, and should not be accepted, either by
individual bhikkhus or by Communities.
Etiquette with regard to lodgings. One should not tread on a lodging with
unwashed feet, with wet feet, or while wearing footwear. The Commentary defines
lodging here as a Community bed or bench, a treated floor, or a floor covering. As for