Mahavagga, Khandaka 5, Chapter 2

1. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus were in the habit of wearing slippers all of a blue, yellow, red, brown, black, orange, or yellowish colour^[1]. People were annoyed, murmured, and became angry, saying, '(These act) like those who still enjoy the pleasures of the world^[2].' The brethren told this thing to the Blessed One.

'Do not wear, O Bhikkhus, shoes that are all of a blue, yellow, red, brown, black, orange, or yellowish colour. Whosoever does so, is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence.'

2. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus were in the habit of wearing shoes with edges of a blue, yellow, red, brown, black, orange, or yellowish colour.

People were annoyed, murmured, and became angry, saying, 'These act like those who still enjoy the pleasures of the world.' The brethren told this thing to the Blessed One.

'Do not wear, O Bhikkhus, shoes that have edges of a blue, yellow, red, brown, black, orange, or yellowish colour. Whosoever does so, is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence.'

3. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus were in the habit of wearing shoes with heel-coverings (?^[3]); mocassins^[4]; laced boots^[5]; boots lined with cotton^[6]; boots of various hues, like the wings of partridges^[7]; boots pointed with rams' horns, and with goats' horns^[8]; ornamented with scorpions' tails^[9]; sewn round with peacocks' feathers^[10]; or shoes of all kinds of colours^[11].

People were annoyed (&c., as in § 2, down to:) told this thing to the Blessed One.

'Do not wear, O Bhikkhus, shoes with heel-coverings (&c., as in § 3, down to:) shoes of all kinds of colours. Whosoever does so, is guilty of a dukkaṭa offence.'

4. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus were in the habit of wearing shoes adorned with lion-skins^[12], tiger-skins, panther-skins, antelope-skins, otter-skins^[13], cat-skins, squirrel-skins, and owl-skins^[14].

People were annoyed (&c., as in § 3, down to the end, substituting 'shoes adorned with lion-skins, &c.,' for 'shoes with heel-coverings, &c.')

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nīlikā ummāra-puppha-vaṇṇā hoti; pītikā kanikāra-puppha-vaṇṇā; lohitikā jayasumana-puppha-vaṇṇā; mañjeṭṭhikā mañjeṭṭhi-vaṇṇā eva; kaṇhā aṭāriṭṭhaka-vaṇṇā; mahāraṅgarattā satapada-piṭṭhi-vaṇṇā (Mahārajana is saffron; the colour of the back of a centipede is brownish yellow), mahānāmarattā sambhinna-vaṇṇā hoti paṇḍu-palāsa-vaṇṇā, Kurundiyaṃ pana paduma-puppha-vaṇṇā ’ti vuttaṃ (B.).

[2]:

Read gihikāmabhogino (as corrected at vol. ii. p. 363).

[3]:

All the names of boots or shoes are of doubtful meaning; and as the use of every sort of foot-covering has long been given up among those Buddhists who have preserved the use of the Pāli language, Buddhaghosa's explanations are not very reliable. He says here: Khallaka-baddhā ’ti paṇhi-pidhānatthaṃ tale khallakaṃ bandhitvā katā.

[4]:

Puṭabaddhā ’ti Yonaka-upāhanā vuccati, yāva jaṅghato sabbapādaṃ paṭicchādeti.

[5]:

Pāliguṇṭhimā ’ti paliguṇṭhitvā katā upari-pāda-mattam eva paṭicchādeti na gaṅghaṃ.

[6]:

Tūlapuṇṇikā ’ti tūlapunnā pūretvā katā.

[7]:

Tittirapattikā ’ti tittira-patta-sadisa-vicitra-baddhā.

[8]:

Meṇḍa-visāṇa-baddhikā ’ti kaṇṇika-ṭṭhāne meṇḍaka-siṅga-saṇṭhāne vaddhe yogetvā katā. Aga-visāṇa-vaddhikādisu pi es’ eva nayo.

[9]:

Vicchikālikā ’ti tatth’ eva vicchika-nanguṭṭha-saṇthane vaddhe yogetvā katā.

[10]:

Morapiñchaparisibbitā (sic) ’ti talesu vā baddhesu vā moraviñchehi (sic) suttakasadisehi parisibbitā.

[11]:

Citrā ’ti vicitrā.

[12]:

Sīha-camma-parikkhatā nāma pariyantesu, cīvaresu anuvātaṃ viya sīhacammaṃ yogetvā katā.

[13]:

Udda, an animal, feeding on fish; but Childers thinks it is not an amphibious creature, and therefore not 'otter.'

[14]:

Lūka-camma-parikkhatā (sic) ’ti pakkha-biḷāla-camma-parikkhatā. The latter is the flying fox, a large kind of bat.