Lzh Mi Bu Vb Sk 85Shoes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pāduka
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Sandals Sutta (Pāduka Sutta)
From the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Early Tradition
Context
The Sandals Sutta (Pāduka) appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially among the prohibitions (Pātimokkha) related to the everyday requisites of bhikkhus. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely a collection of dry prohibitions, but a discipline of living intended to educate the mind and conduct, helping practitioners avoid behavior harmful both to themselves and to the monastic community.
The story concerning sandals arose from specific events in the earliest monastic community. Some bhikkhus used sandals that were overly elaborate, expensively decorated, or complicated in design, thereby giving rise to issues concerning display, propriety, and the true purpose of the life of practice. The Buddha Shakyamuni observed this and set forth clear regulations on how sandals were to be used and made for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
Main Content
The Sandals Sutta states that practitioners should use simple sandals, suitable for the purpose of protecting the feet from injury by the ground. Sandals should not be decorated with precious materials such as gold or silver, or with elaborate designs. Spending effort and resources on luxurious sandals is contrary to the spirit of renunciation and simple practice (dukkhanibbidā).
Specific regulations include: sandals may be made from ordinary materials such as leather, grass, or wood; they must not have unnecessary ornamental parts; when sandals are damaged, bhikkhus should know how to repair them or use old sandals rather than always seeking new ones. These rules are intended to remind practitioners that requisites are tools, not objects of craving or displays of status.
If a bhikkhu violates these regulations by using improper sandals or by buying and selling overly luxurious sandals, he must undertake a confession procedure (Pātidesaniya) or corresponding disciplinary measures, depending on the gravity of the offense. This is not an inhumane punishment, but an opportunity for the bhikkhu to recollect his purpose.
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