Cullavagga, Khandaka 5, Chapter 9

1. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus used to use bowls of various kinds, made of gold and silver.

The people murmured (&c., as usual, down to) They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to use bowls made of gold, or made of silver, or set with jewels, or made of beryl (veḷuriya^[1]), or made of crystal, or made of copper, or made of glass^[2], or made of tin, or made of lead, or made of bronze. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, bowls of two kinds,—those made of iron, and those made of clay.'

2. Now at that time the support at the bottom of the bowls wore out^[3].

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to use circular (pieces of metal) as the supports for your bowls.'

Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus used to have various kinds of circular supports to their bowls.—silver ones, and gold ones.

The people murmured (&c., down to) They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to have various kinds of circular supports to your bowls. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, two kinds of circular supports to your bowls,—tin ones, and lead ones.'

The thick circular supports could not be inserted^[4]. They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to shape them^[5] (until they get to be the right size to fit in)^[6].'

They would not stay in (?)^[7].

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to split little pieces of crocodiles' teeth (to fit them in with)^[8].'

Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus had painted circular linings to the bottoms of their bowls, with painted figures scattered over them, or painted in patches of colour^[9], and they used to walk about the streets exhibiting them.

People murmured (&c., down to) They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to have painted circular supports to the bottoms of your bowls, covered with figures, and painted in patches of colour. Whosoever shall do so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, only ordinary linings.'

3. Now at that time the Bhikkhus put away their bowls with water in them, and the bowls were split.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to put away your bowls with water in them. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I enjoin upon you, O Bhikkhus, to dry your bowls in the sunshine^[10] before putting them away.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus dried their bowls in the sunshine, with water in them; and the bowls became evil-smelling.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to dry your bowls in the sunshine with water in them. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I allow you, O Bhikkhus; to empty out the water^[11], and then warm the bowls, before you put them away.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus put their bowls away in a warm place; and the colour of the bowls was spoilt.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to put your bowls away in a warm place. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to dry your bowls for a short time in a warm place, and then to put them away.'

4. Now at that time a number of bowls were left in the open air without supports; and the bowls were turned over by a whirlwind^[12] and broke.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of supports for your bowls (when they are left out).'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus put their bowls away at the edge of the sleeping-benches in the verandahs^[13], and the bowls fell down and were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to put your bowls away on the edge of the sleeping-benches in the verandah. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus put their bowls away on the edge of the Paribhaṇḍa^[14], and the bowls fell down and were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to put your bowls away on the edge of the Paribhaṇḍa. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus turned their bowls upside down^[15] on the ground, and the lips wore out. They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of a mat made of grass^[16].'

The grass-mat was eaten by white ants.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of a small cloth^[17].'

The small cloth was eaten by the white ants. They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of a raised parapet (?) (on which to put your bowls)^[18].'

The bowls fell down from the parapet and were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow your O Bhikkhus, the use of a wicker-work stand^[19].'

On the wicker-work stand the bowls wore out. They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of bags to carry your bowls in.'

They had no shoulder-straps^[20]

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of a shoulder-strap (by which to carry the bag), or of a piece of string (by which to tie it on).'

5. Now at that time the Bhikkhus hung up their bowls on pins in the walls, or on hooks^[21]. The pins or hooks falling down, the bowls were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to hang your bowls up. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus put their bowls down on a bed^[22], or a chair; and sitting down thoughtlessly^[23] they upset them, and the bowls were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to put your bowls on the bed, or on a chair. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus kept their bowls on their laps; and rising up thoughtlessly they upset them, and the bowls were broken. They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to keep your bowls on your laps. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus put their bowls down on a sunshade; and the sunshade being lifted up by a whirlwind, the bowls rolled over, and were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to put your bowls down on a sunshade. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus, when they were holding the bowls in their hands, opened the door^[24]. The door springing back the bowls were broken.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to open the door with your bowls in your hands. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

It is clear from verses 192-196 of the 13th chapter of the Rāja-nighaṇṭu, written by Narahari of Kashmīr in the thirteenth century A. D., that at that time Vaiḍūrya meant 'cat's-eye: But it is uncertain whether that was the only meaning of the word veḷuriya at the time when this passage was composed. (See especially V. 124, p. 25, of Dr. Richard Garbe's edition in his work, 'Die Indischen Mineralien,' Leipzig, 1882.) See also Professor Max Müller's interesting note at p. 266 of his 'What can India teach us?'

[2]:

Kācamayo. There was probably no glass in our modern sense of the word when the Cullavagga was written. But kāca is a silicious earth, and some sort of glass-like earthenware may very well have been in use. The phrase has already occurred, together with all the others in this passage, at Mahāvagga V, 8, 3, of foot-coverings, but is omitted in the list at Khudda Sikkhā V. 10.

[3]:

Ghaṃsīyati. Literally, 'were rubbed.' See below, § 3, and our note below on V, 9, 2, 4.

[4]:

Acchūpiyanti. On the use of this word, compare Mahāvagga VIII, 14, 1, where it is used of inserting a slip of cloth in a torn garment.

[5]:

See our note above on V, 8, I. Buddhaghosa says here likhitun ti tanu-karaṇ-atthāy’ etaṃ vuttaṃ. The 'shaping' may be by carving, adzing, or planing.

[6]:

Compare above, V, 8, 1, and see Buddhaghosa's note at p. 316 of the edition of the text.

[7]:

The reading is corrupt; and therefore this rendering is merely conjectural. See H.O.'s note at p. 316 of his edition of the text.

[8]:

On these split crocodiles' teeth, see our note above on V, 1, 4.

[9]:

Rūpakokiṇṇāni bhati-kamma-katāni. Buddhaghosa has nothing on these words. On the second, see below, VI, 2, 7, and H.O.'s note on that passage at p. 321 of the edition of the text. It is most probable that the reading in both passages should be bhatti-kamma, 'patchwork,' as further explained in our note below on VI, 2, 7; and we have translated accordingly.

[10]:

Otāpetvā. The word has already occurred in Mahāvagga I, 25, 16. Compare Khudda Sikkhā V. 6.

[11]:

Vodakaṃ katvā. Vodakaṃ bears, of course, the same relation to sa-udakaṃ, used just before, as vagga does to samagga. The expression has occurred already at Mahāvagga I, 25, 13.

[12]:

Vāta-maṇḍalikāya. So also in the next section and in the Bhikkhunī-vibhaṅga, Pācittiya 96. The reading at Jātaka I, 72 is vāta-maṇḍalaṃ.

[13]:

Miḍhante. This word recurs below in VI, 2, 3, where see our note. Buddhaghosa's note is given at p. 317 of the edition of the text. See also Khudda Sikkhā V. 7.

[14]:

Used of a house, this probably means a plastered flooring of scented earth or dried cowdung. See Cullavagga VI, 17, 1, and Buddhaghosa's note there. On the use of the word in tailoring, see Mahāvagga VII, 1, 5, VIII, 21. Buddhaghosa, loc. cit. (p. 3 i 7), uses the expression mattika-paribhaṇḍa-katāya-bhūmiyā.

[15]:

Nikkujjanti. See the use of this word at V, 20, 3.

[16]:

Tiṇa-santhārakaṃ. That this word means a mat, and not a layer, of grass is clear from its use at Jātaka I, 360, and below, V, II, 3.

[17]:

Colaka. The meaning of the word is doubtful, but see Mahāvagga VIII, 18. In the uddāna (at p. 143) the corresponding word is cola. See also below, VI, 3, I, VI, 19, VI, 20, 2.

[18]:

Patta-mālakaṃ. Buddhaghosa says merely, 'It should be made either of bricks or of wood.' He confirms the reading of the text (with ḷ as against Childers's reading mālako).

[19]:

Patta-kaṇḍolikā ti mahā-mukha-kuṇḍa-saṇṭhānā bhandakukkhaḷiknā vuccati (B.). Kaṇḍola is a wicker-work basket; see Böhtlingk-Roth, sub voce.

[20]:

See H.O.'s note on the reading here; and compare the table of contents to this chapter (at p. 143), where the reading aṃsabaddhaṃ confirms the suggested alteration. If there were any further doubt it would be removed on comparing the closing words of Mahāvagga VI, 12, 4, which are identical with the present passage and contain the correct reading. The same remarks apply to other passages, where the same words occur below, V, It, 5, V, 12, VI, 12, 3.

[21]:

The use of these appliances is formally allowed at VI, 3, 5.

[22]:

Mañca. Compare Rh. D.'s note at p. 277 of the 'Buddhist Birth Stories,' and Khuddha Sikkhā V. 7.

[23]:

Sati-sammosā. The word occurs at Milinda-paṇha (ed. Trenckner), p. 260. It must be connected with muṭṭha-sati, of which the Buddhist Sanskrit equivalent is muṣita-smṛtiḥ (see Kathā Sarit Sāgara 56, 289). It is evident that Childers's original explanation of muṭṭha-sati from mūḷha was wrong, and that both words must be referred to the root mush, as he points out at p. .618 of his Dictionary.

[24]:

Kavātaṃ paṇāmetvā. The construction of doors is described in detail at V, 14, 3, with reference to the bath-house, and again at VI, 2. That paṇāmeti is to open, and not to shut, is clear from VIII, 1, 1, just as pattaṃ paṇāmeti at VIII, 5, 2 is to uncover, disclose, the bowl. Compare Khuddha Sikkhā V. 8.