Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 160Keeping long hair

Sutra on Keeping Long Hair

Background

This rule is recorded in the Vinaya Pitaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, where the prohibitions that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe are listed. These categories range from the Pārājikas to the Pātidesanīya rules, proclaimed by the Buddha to protect the integrity of the Sangha.

The rule on keeping long hair arose in the early period of the Sangha community, when the Buddha and his disciples were still living. It is not an arbitrary requirement, but a symbol of going forth, the renunciation of worldly pleasures and the priority given to practice. Keeping the hair short, usually by shaving it clean, is the sign of one who has gone forth and whose mind is pure.

Main Content

This sutra forbids bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs to keep excessively long hair. Specifically, the hair should not be longer than two finger-breadths from the root. If it exceeds this limit, it is considered a Pācittiya offense, that is, an offense requiring confession.

The reason is simple but profound: keeping long hair may be connected with delight in the form of the body, or in other words, may express lingering attachment to outward beauty. In the context of Buddha Dharma practice, this contradicts the main purpose: training wisdom (paññā) and liberation from the defilements (kilesa).

In addition, shaving the hair periodically is also an act of practicing discipline and attention to one's body. It reminds the practitioner that the body is an instrument for practice, not an object to be nourished or adorned.

Practical Meaning

This rule should not be understood as meaningless or overly severe. It truly contains deep lessons about conduct and intention. In Theravada practice, every action of a practitioner is viewed through the lens of mindfulness (sati) and ethics (sīla).