འཁར་གསལ་འཆང་པའ་ཀན་ཏ་སྤྱད་པའ་ཆ་ག intro.4

intro.4

In most modern Buddhist cultures, the ringing staff has been reduced to a mere ritual artifact. From the contents of the twenty-five rules, it appears that the use of the staff was once associated with several practical purposes: (A) protection against animals (no. 1), (B) a walking aid (no. 2), (C) collecting alms (nos. 3, 6, 13, 14, 15, and 20), and (D) travel (nos. 21, 23, and 24). The predominance of alms collection and, to a lesser extent, travel in the list perhaps indicates the ringing staff’s main functions. Many of the twenty-five rules, therefore, show the occasions of the staff’s use. In addition, many items in the list are rules prescribing how the staff should and should not be used. We find in these rules a concern for the positive image of the Buddhist saṅgha, as they also define proper behavior surrounding a religious instrument that is recognized as symbolically powerful.