Vinaya Pitaka (3): Khandhaka

by I. B. Horner | 2014 | 386,194 words | ISBN-13: 9781921842160

The English translation of the Khandhaka: the second book of the Pali Vinaya Pitaka, one of the three major ‘baskets’ of Therevada canonical literature. It is a collection of various narratives. The English translation of the Vinaya-pitaka (third part, khandhaka) contains many Pali original words, but transliterated using a system similar to the I...

Rejection of high and broad seats

Kd.5.10.4 Now at that time the group of six monks used high and broad things to recline upon,[1] that is to say: a sofa,[2] a divan,[3] a long-haired coverlet,[4] a many-coloured coverlet,[5] a white coverlet,[6] a wool coverlet besprent with flowers,[7] a cotton quilt,[8] a wool coverlet decorated with animals’ forms,[9] a wool covering with hair on the upper side,[10] a wool covering with hair at one side,[11] a silken sheet studded with jewels,[12] a sheet made with silk threads and studded with jewels,[13] a BD.4.257 dancer’s carpet[14], an elephant rug, a horse rug, a chariot rug, rugs of black antelope skins, a splendid sheeting of the hide of the kadali-deer,[15] a sheet with an awning above[16], a couch with a red cushion at either end.[17] People, engaged in touring the dwelling-places, having seen (all this), looked down upon, criticised, spread it about, saying: “Like householders who enjoy pleasures of the senses.” They told this matter to the Lord.

Kd.5.10.5 He said: “Monks, high and broad things to recline upon should not be used, that is to say: a sofa … a couch with a red cushion at either end. Whoever should use (any of these) there is an offence of wrong-doing.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

uccāsayanamahāsayana. List recurs at Vin.2.163, DN.i.7, AN.i.181; some of the items only at MN.i.76 = AN.i.137. Cf. also MN-a.ii.39. Vin-a.1086 says “uccāsayana is a couch exceeding the (right) measure” (the height of the legs of a couch is given as eight finger-breadths at Vin.4.168), and “mahāsayana is a sheet (paccattharaṇa) that is not (made) allowable”.

[2]:

āsandī, see BD.3.326, n.1, Dialogues of the Buddha i.11, n.4. The use of this and of a divan is forbidden to nuns at Vin.4.299 (BD.3.326f.).

[3]:

pallaṅka. See BD.3.271, n.3, Dialogues of the Buddha i.11, n.5.

[4]:

gonaka (also spelled goṇaka). Vin-a.1086 says a long-haired wide kojava (fleecy counterpane or cover with long hair). On kojava, see below, BD.4.397, n.5,

[5]:

cittaka, Vin-a.1086 says a coverlet (attharaka) made of wool of various colours (citta) (embroidered with) wild beasts (vāḷa, variant reading vāna; DN-a.86 reads vāna, with variant readings cāna, vāta).

[6]:

paṭikā. Vin-a.1086: a white (seta) coverlet made of wool.

[7]:

paṭalikā. I follow Woodward’s translation at GS.i.164. Vin-a.1086 gives the meaning as “a covering made of wool, a mass of flowers”, and further calls it a “cloth of the Greeks (Yonaka) and Tamils”, with variant reading (as at AN-a.ii.293) yo āmalakapaṭṭo ti pi vuccati. Perhaps a better reading for āmalaka (emblic myrobalan) occurs at DN-a.i.87: āmilāka (“a woollen cover into which a floral pattern is woven,” Pali-English Dictionary).

[8]:

tūlikā. Vin-a.1086 says “just an ordinary tūlikā”, while DN-a.87 and AN-a.ii.293 say “a tūlikā stuffed with a certain one of the three kinds of cotton”. These three kinds are given at Vin.2.150, Vin.4.170 as cotton from trees, from creepers and from the poṭaki-grass; see BD.3.93, n.2.

[9]:

vikatikā. Vin-a.1086 says, “a covering made of wool, ornamented (vicitta) with forms of lions, tigers, etc.”.

[10]:

Vin.1.192 and Vin-a.1086 both read uddha- (upper) lomin as against udda- (both) of DN.i.7, AN.i.181.

[11]:

ekantalomin.

[12]:

kaṭṭhissa. Commentaries say “a sheet (paccattharaṇa) made of kaṭṭhissa (?) and silk and sewn round with (parisibbita) jewels (ratana)”.

[13]:

koseyya. I take above rendering from Vin-a.1086.

[14]:

Vin-a.1086, “a sheet made of wool suitable for the dances of sixteen dancing girls”.

[15]:

kadalimigapavarapaccattharaṇa. Vin-a.1086, “it is called the hide of the kadali-deer; a splendid (pavara) sheet is made from this. It means the best (uttama) kind of sheet. They say they make it having spread out the deerhide and sewn it above white hangings” (vattha, also meaning clothes).

[16]:

sauttaracchada. Vin-a.1086 explains as “together with a dyed (or red, ratta) awning attached above”, and mentions sheet (paccattharaṇa) in this connection.

[17]:

ubhatolohitakūpadhāna. Vin-a.1087 explains as above.

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