Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c23.32

c23.32

**Clothing.** We shall now discuss the regulations regarding the clothing of the Bhikkhus. As in the case of Food, there is a minimum prescribed for the Clothing too. "The religious life has the robe made of rags taken from a dust heap for its resource. Thus you must endeavour to live all your life. Linen, cotton, silk, woollen garments, coarse cloth, hempen cloth are extra allowances." But even the injunction regarding the minimum of clothing which the Buddhist Bhikkhu must use refers only to its material or quality, but is quite generous as regards its quantity. Indeed, the doctrine of the Middle Path has been very well exemplified in the regulations of the Order in this regard. They will appear to be designed under very advanced and correct conceptions of decency and decorum which a community of monks can ill afford to ignore when it is meant to have such an intimate and constant contact with the lay public as the Buddhists cultivated. These regulations must have been also deliberately designed to distinguish as definitely and easily as possible the Buddhist Order of Ascetics from those other Orders of Ascetics of the day like the Nigaṇṭhas, the Achelakas, and the Ājīvakas, who professed and practised the principle of a return to nature in the matter of clothing. The Buddha was therefore the more determined to have his own band of brethren dissociated from these extremists in asceticism by external marks and practices no less than by their internal doctrines. This is clear from a passage in the *Mahāvagga* [viii, 28] which tells of a certain Bhikkhu who, interpreting the Buddhist doctrine of moderation as applied to clothing to mean nakedness, comes up to the Buddha in that natural condition and insists upon his interpretation being adopted, saying: "It were well, Lord, if the Blessed One would enjoin nakedness upon the Bhikkhus." This had only the effect of drawing out of the Blessed One the following stern rebuke and ruling: "This would be improper, O foolish one, unsuitable, unworthy of a Samaṇa, unbecoming. How can you adopt nakedness as the Titthiyas do?" And lest there be any ambiguity as to what shall constitute nakedness in the Buddhist view, he proceeded to proscribe the following varieties of garment as being each "the symbol the Titthiyas use": viz. garments of grass, bark, phalaka cloth ("perhaps made of leaves"), hair, skin of a wild animal, feathers of an owl, and antelope skins (with the hoofs left on). In the rains when the full dress of the Bhikkhu would be drenched and heavy and a wearisome encumbrance [cf. *Mahāv*., vii, 1, 1], special garments were prescribed of the size of six spans by two and a half which would be just enough to go round the loins from the waist half down to the knee [see *Pāt.*, p. 54], and give an appearance of decency. Visākhā, that great benefactress of the Order, had once to complain to the Buddha that his Bhikkhus behaved as naked ascetics to let the rain fall on them with their robes thrown off, and since "impure was nakedness and revolting", she begged the Buddha's permission "to provide the Saṁgha life long with special garments for use in the rainy season" [*Mahāv.*, viii, 15]. But apart from their appearance in public, the Buddha would not also tolerate nakedness of the monks when they have to deal with one another in the Vihāra on occasions of mutual salutations, bath, or meals when mutual services are needed [*Chullav.*, v, 15].