Lzh Dg Bi Pm Sk 64Not Go Around Stupa Wearing Shoes

THE SUTRA ON THE INJUNCTION NOT TO CIRCUMAMBULATE A STUPA WHILE WEARING SHOES

Context

This sutra records a rule of training established by the Buddha Gotama in the early Sangha, concerning acts of reverence and respect at Buddhist stupas. In the Theravāda tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka records the required disciplines (dhamma-vinaya) that all bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe.

The historical context of this rule arose during the Buddha's lifetime, when the Sangha needed specific guidance on proper conduct when visiting sacred sites. A Buddhist stupa is a noble symbol of the Three Jewels, often enshrining relics of Buddhas or precious scriptures. Therefore, the humble manner of paying homage to a stupa reflects deep respect for what the stupa represents.

Main Content

The rule recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka is this: a bhikkhu must not walk around a Buddhist stupa while wearing shoes or sandals. This is not a grave prohibition (such as pārājika or saṅghādisesa), but it records an act of disrespect (dubbaca - difficult to admonish, or pacittiya - a minor offense requiring confession).

This action is understood as lacking humility. In ancient Indian culture, removing one's shoes when entering sacred places was a basic sign of reverence and self-examination. Shoes represent the dirt of the world, while the stupa is a symbol of purity and awakening. This contrast contains a deep meaning: the practitioner must leave behind the traces of the world before approaching what is sacred.

This rule applies to both bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs when they perform right-wise circumambulation (anukkula-padakkhiṇa), that is, walking around the stupa in the direction of the sun, an act of reverence and protective honoring (parivāra).