Ka Bu Pm Sk 84Sandals

Sandals — Upāhanāruḷha

Number: Ka Bu Pm Sk 84 | Tradition: Sectarian Buddhist Scriptures · Comparative Texts | Collection: Comparative Vinaya — Chinese

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Source Status

The complete source text of this provision has not been directly collated in the present process of compiling this material. The presentation below is not a translation from the original canon, but an exposition based purely on the provided descriptive information, including: tradition name, collection name, number, Vietnamese title (Dép), English title (Sandals), and Pāli/Sanskrit term Upāhanāruḷha. Researchers should compare the relevant original Chinese text or related Pāli-Sanskrit bilingual materials in order to grasp the full original text before applying it to practice or scholarship.

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Context

This provision belongs to the group Comparative Vinaya — Chinese, a specialized scholarly category in modern Buddhist studies, intended to compare and collate the bhikkhu or bhikkhunī rules among various Buddhist schools. The number Ka Bu Pm Sk 84 suggests that this is the eighty-fourth rule in a group of training rules of the Sekhiya type, rules of training concerning deportment and the daily conduct of those gone forth. The Sekhiya group often includes training rules that guide specific ways of conduct in monastic life and in society. They are not grave offenses, but they have very high value in cultivating pure deportment.

The title Upāhanāruḷha in Pāli/Sanskrit may be analyzed into two elements: upāhanā (sandals or shoes, that is, a means of walking that protects the feet) and āruḷha (mounted, put on). Thus this term literally means "having put on sandals" or "wearing sandals on the feet," pointing to a specific situation related to the use of sandals in a particular context.

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Content That Can Be Determined from the Descriptive Information

Based on the title and the original term, it can be determined that this training rule concerns rules for the use of sandals by those gone forth. In the Vinaya collections of many sectarian Buddhist traditions, the group of training rules on sandals (upāhanā) often refers to specific situations such as: not wearing sandals into sacred places, such as the main shrine hall, a stūpa, or a place where the Sangha is performing a ceremony; not wearing sandals made of prohibited materials; or regulations on how to wear, place, and preserve sandals in a manner fitting the deportment of a śramaṇa.

Because this is a Comparative Vinaya collection, the aim is not only to present the content of a single school, but also to compare how different schools, such as Theravāda, Dharmaguptaka, Sarvāstivāda, Mahāsāṃghika, or others, regulate the same matter of deportment. Such comparison helps highlight shared points in the spirit of maintaining deportment and small differences in presentation according to each tradition.

The ordinal number 84 in the Sekhiya group suggests that this is one of the later training rules of the group, which often includes subtle details of conduct. From the standpoint of comparative Vinaya scholarship, this shows that although the content may appear minor in outward form, it reflects a profound philosophy: every gesture and every action, however small, of one gone forth belongs within the framework of mindfulness and deportment training.

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Meaning for Practice

Seen from the perspective of practice, the training rule concerning sandals carries symbolic meaning beyond the everyday object. Sandals are a means, and in the spirit of Buddhism even a means must be used with mindfulness. Knowing when to wear sandals, when not to wear them, and how to wear them are all lessons in full presence in each moment of daily life. Deportment is not empty outward form, but the expression of a trained mind, a mind that is not heedless, a mind that knows how to respect the circumstances and the community.

Moreover, in the context of the Sekhiya rules, observing small rules such as this expresses respect for the Sangha, for donors, and for laypeople who look upon the practitioner. The dignity of the true Dharma is preserved in part through matters that seem simple, such as how sandals are worn or removed.

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Comparative Note

Because no specific Chinese original has yet been collated, readers who wish to study the training rule Upāhanāruḷha (Ka Bu Pm Sk 84) in depth should consult the Chinese Vinaya translations corresponding to the school represented by this entry, as well as multi-school comparative materials in Buddhist scholarship. Placing this training rule beside equivalent provisions in other Vinaya collections would be a useful next step for understanding its scope of application, degree of detail, and the general spirit it seeks to convey.