Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 170Adorning like a wife
Pāli / Sanskrit:Adorning like a wife
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The Sutta: Adorning Like a Wife
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Pātimokkha section, the basic code of practice for bhikkhunīs. Its background concerns regulations on the use of jewelry and self-adornment by female monastics.
The Buddha established prohibitions in the Vinaya Piṭaka not as obscure or peculiar rules, but as instructions with a clear purpose: to help bhikkhunīs reduce factors that easily lead to defilements, sensual desire, and distracting relationships on the path of practice. This sutta reflects the Tathāgata’s concern for favorable conditions for diligent practice.
Main Content
The sutta "Adorning Like a Wife" concerns restrictions related to makeup and bodily adornment by bhikkhunīs. Specifically, the sutta forbids female monastics from using jewelry, flowers in the hair, perfume, cosmetics, or objects intended to beautify themselves in a seductive manner like women who remain in lay life ("like a wife").
The reason behind this regulation is profound. The phrase "adorning like a wife" indicates that this action is connected with worldly thinking about beauty, attraction, and intimate relationships. A bhikkhunī has gone forth from the household life and abandoned ordinary social roles; therefore, continuing to adorn herself in order to attract or maintain the attention of others is contrary to the spirit of practice.
This is not an arbitrary or unjust imposition. Rather, it reflects the Buddha’s deep understanding of human psychology. Sensual desire, attraction, and factors related to outward form are major obstacles preventing the path to nirvana (Nibbāna).
Practical Meaning
The true purpose of this rule is to help bhikkhunīs free the mind from defiling factors bound up with the body and outward appearance.
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