Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c7.136

c7.136

The attitude of Buddhism to the arts demands some consideration here. Buddhism holds the one great aim of life, the goal for which all should strive, to be salvation from the round of repeated or individual existence; and considers *rapid* spiritual progress to be compatible only with an ascetic life. By those that seek to follow the path that leads to such salvation, even the highest intellectual and emotional pleasures must be renounced. The priesthood accordingly were required, amongst other things to abstain from dancing, singing, music and stage plays, not to use ornaments, nor to sleep on high or broad beds. They were allowed to possess personally only their robes, a loin girdle, an alms-bowl, a razor, a needle, a water strainer, a fan, and a pair of sandals, eight articles in all. The robes were to be of dull orange colour (originally selected as a colour regarded with contempt) and made of material first torn to pieces and then sewn together, so as to be of no commercial value. But the priestly community as a whole could be endowed with books, lands and houses, and so became at various times quite wealthy; the houses were often by no means lacking in adornment of carving and metal work; also it often happened that presents of beautifully adorned examples of one or other of the eight requisites were made to individual priests, and were handed down by them in pupillary succession; as for example ivory-handled fans, beautifully decorated books and silk robes; but all such possessions made but a small item, and the vow of individual poverty has been for the most part well kept, except at times of admitted degeneracy in the church. But it appears that priests were sometimes wealthy enough to build or repair vihāras and make gifts (Lawrie’s Gazetteer, p. 688, Palkumbure Unnānse); for an example of the inheritance of land, books, fan, bowl, etc., in pupillary succession see the same, p. 856; but the goods are to be in charge of certain lay trustees, who were to be responsible.