Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 177Owning Narrow Comb

The Sutta on Owning a Narrow Comb

From the Traditional Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka

Background

This sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially in the Pātimokkha section, the basic code of practice for bhikkhus in the Buddhist Saṅgha. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a set of dry prohibitions, but practical guidance helping practitioners maintain purity in daily life.

The sutta "Owning a Narrow Comb" concerns the management of personal requisites by bhikkhus. In monastic life, every object, however small, has deep significance for practice. A narrow comb is a basic tool of hygiene, and its ownership or use is regulated specifically in order to avoid greed, or conversely, to ensure that bhikkhus have the necessary articles for cleanliness and respect for the body.

This sutta reflects the principle of Theravāda Buddhism: neither extreme ascetic denial nor indulgence, but the Middle Way (Majjhimā Paṭipadā). Regulations concerning such small objects are intended to guide the practitioner’s mind away from spiritual traps: desire, discrimination, and attachment.

Main Content

The specific content of this sutta has not yet been fully translated in the available materials, but based on the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, it is very likely to concern specific regulations about whether a bhikkhu may or may not own a narrow comb, or under what conditions it may be used.

In the Theravāda tradition, regulations concerning personal requisites are not meant to create difficulty, but to nurture the attitude of non-possession (apariggaha). A bhikkhu must not crave material things excessively, but must also maintain personal hygiene so as not to trouble those around him. The narrow comb, in this context, may represent the boundary between reasonable practicality and greed.