Cullavagga, Khandaka 5, Chapter 27

1. Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu went on his round for alms with long finger-nails. A certain woman, seeing him, said to that Bhikkhu: 'Come along, Sir, and have connection with me.'

'Nay, Sister, that is not becoming.'

'If you do not, Sir, I will at once scratch^[1] my limbs with my own nails, and will make as if I were angry, saying, "This Bhikkhu has ill-treated me."'

'Settle that with yourself, Sister.'

That woman did as she had said, and people running up seized that Bhikkhu. Then they saw skin and blood on the woman's nails; and on seeing that, they let the Bhikkhu go, saying, 'This is the work of the woman herself. The Bhikkhu has not done it.'

Then that Bhikkhu, returning to the Ārāma, told the matter to the Bhikkhus.

'What then, Sir, do you wear long nails?'

'It is even so, Sirs.'

The Bhikkhus who were moderate murmured (&c. . . . .) told the matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to wear long nails. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

2. Now at that time the Bhikkhus tore off their nails with the nails, bit them off with their teeth, or rubbed them down against the wall; and their fingers were hurt.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, nail-cutters.'

They cut their nails down to the blood, and their fingers were hurt.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to cut your nails according to the length of the flesh.'

Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus had all the twenty nails (on their hands and feet) polished.

People murmured, &c., saying, 'Like those who still live in the pleasures of the world.'

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to have the twenty nails polished. I allow you, O Bhikkhus, to remove the dirt only.'

3. Now at that time the Bhikkhus' hair grew long.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'Are the Bhikkhus able, O Bhikkhus, to remove one another's hair?'

'They are, Lord.' Then the Blessed One, on that occasion and in that connection, after he had delivered a religious discourse, addressed the Bhikkhus, and said:

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of razors, of a hone to sharpen the razors on, of powder prepared with Sipāṭika-gum to prevent them rusting^[2], of a sheath to hold them in^[3], and of all the apparatus of a barber^[4].'

4. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus wore (&c., as usual, down to)

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to have your beards cut (by barbers)^[5], nor to let them grow long, nor to wear them long on the chin like a goat's beard^[6], nor so cut that they have four corners^[7], nor to cut off the hair growing on your breast^[8], nor to cut the hair on your bellies into figures^[9], nor to wear whiskers^[10], nor to remove the hair from your private parts^[11]. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.' Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu had a fistula^[12], and the ointment would not stick to it.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, on account of disease, to remove the hair from the private parts.'

5. Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus (&c., as before, down to)

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to have your hair cut off with a knife^[13]. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu had a sore on his head, and the hair could not be removed with a razor.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, on account of disease, to have your hair cut off with a knife.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus wore the hair in their nostrils long.

People murmured, &c., saying, 'Like the devil-worshippers^[14].'

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to wear the hair in your nostrils long. Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

Now at that time the Bhikkhus had the hair in their nostrils pulled out with a potsherd^[15], or with. beeswax; and their nostrils were hurt. They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of pincers^[16].'

Now at that time the Chabbaggiya Bhikkhus (&c.; as before, ending with)

'You are not, O Bhikkhus, to have the white hairs pulled out (off your heads). Whosoever does so, shall be guilty of a dukkaṭa.'

6. Now at that time a certain Bhikkhu's ears were stopped with the wax.

They told this matter to the Blessed One.

'I allow you, O Bhikkhus, the use of an instrument to remove the wax from the ear^[17].'

[Then a paragraph as to the substances of which it may be made, word for word, as in Mahāvagga VI, 6, 21; 12, 3; Cullavagga V, 5, 2; 29, 2, &c.]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

On vilikhati, compare VI, 20.

[2]:

Khura-sipāṭikaṃ. See the notes on V, 11, 2, and Buddhaghosa's note at p. 319 of the text.

[3]:

Namatakaṃ. See above, V, 11, 1, and V, 19, 1.

[4]:

Khura-bhaṇḍaṃ. Compare Mahāvagga VI, 37.

[5]:

Massuṃ kappāpentī ti kattariyā massuṃ chedāpenti (B.). On Kattari (a knife), see Jātaka I, 223. It is clear from the first words of the next section that Buddhaghosa's explanation here is not quite accurate.

[6]:

Go-lomikan ti hanukamhi dīghaṃ katvā ṭhapitaṃ eḷakamassuṃ vuccati (B.).

[7]:

Caturassan ti catu-konaṃ (B.).

[8]:

Parimukhan ti ure Loma-saṃharaṇaṃ (B.).

[9]:

Aḍḍharūkaṃ. See the various readings and Buddhaghosa's note at p. 319 of the text.

[10]:

Dāṭhikaṃ. It is the Sanskrit dāḍhikā or daṃṣṭrikā; and occurs at Jātaka I, 305.

[11]:

On the corresponding rule in the Bhikkhunī-vibhaṅga, the 2nd Pācittiya, the Old Commentary has sambādho nāma ubho upakacchakā mutta-karaṇaṃ.

[12]:

Compare Mahāvagga VI, 22, 2.

[13]:

Kattarikayā ti gaṇḍa-rudhi-(sic MS.)-sīsa-rog’-ābādha-pac-cayā vaṭṭati, which is simply a repetition of the next paragraph, is all that Buddhaghosa here says. See note above on § 4.

[14]:

Pisācillikā. So also V, 10, 2, of carrying a skull about; and Mahāvagga III, 12, 3, of living in the hollow of a tree.

[15]:

Sakkharikā, said at Mahāvagga VI, 14, 5 to be used as a lancet.

[16]:

Saṇḍāsa. So at Jātaka I, 138, 4, a barber pulls out a white hair from the king's head, suvaṇṇa-saṇḍāsena.

[17]:

This license is-repeated in the next chapter.