Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Sk 64Not Go Around Stupa Wearing Shoes

Interpretation of the Sutta: Not Circumambulating a Stupa While Wearing Shoes

Background

This text is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Pātimokkha section of the Theravāda tradition, recording the training rules that the Buddha established for the community of monks and nuns. These rules are not harsh laws or punishments, but instructions intended to protect purity, inner discipline, and respect for sacred places in Buddhist faith.

A stupa, also called a thūpa, is a noble religious structure built to worship the relics of the Buddha or of arahants, those who have attained nirvana. In the context of ancient India, these structures were regarded as embodiments of the teaching and objects of supreme acts of worship and offering. Therefore, a rule about conduct when approaching a stupa is entirely natural and necessary.

Main Content

This rule stipulates that bhikkhus, male renunciants, and bhikkhunīs, female renunciants, must not circumambulate a stupa while still wearing shoes or sandals. This is a concrete expression of respect and humility.

In traditional Indian thought, removing shoes when entering sacred places is an act expressing reverence, humility, and the purification of oneself. Shoes, regarded as external and unclean, are usually left outside sacred spaces. Circumambulating a stupa is an act of worship expressing devotion, and the presence of shoes diminishes the sacred quality of the mind.

This rule also reflects a broader principle in the Vinaya Piṭaka: those gone forth should avoid actions that lessen the respect of the Buddhist community or make sacred places seem trivial. By removing shoes, bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs not only observe a rule of conduct but also practice deep awareness of reverence and connection with the Dharma.