Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Dh Pc 171Having Someone Comb Hair
Pāli / Sanskrit:Having someone comb hair
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DISCOURSE: LETTING ANOTHER PERSON COMB ONE’S HAIR
Background
This section of rules lies in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically the Pātimokkha section for bhikkhunīs. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the system of rules for daily life established by the Buddha Śākyamuni to protect moral purity and communal order among those who have gone forth. These rules have been transmitted from the time of the Buddha until today.
The issue of "letting another person comb one’s hair" may seem out of place to those who do not deeply understand the ancient context of practice. However, in the early Buddhist tradition, bodily care, including hair hygiene, was regarded as part of "health care" supporting practice, not as adornment or concealment of beauty. Letting another person comb one’s hair or receiving such service may be connected with the idea of "seeking service" or "unnecessary dependence," something bhikkhunīs were advised to avoid in order to cultivate independence and meditative steadiness in practice.
Main Content
This rule provides that bhikkhunīs should not allow others, especially men or persons who are not members of the monastic community, to comb their hair, except in specific cases such as illness or another valid reason. The purpose of this rule is to avoid situations that may lead to:
First, dependence on third parties that would weaken the spirit of self-reliance in a bhikkhunī. The Buddha always advised practitioners to be self-controlled and independent in caring for themselves, not depending on others in matters they can do themselves.
Second, this may create an opportunity to arouse thoughts or feelings unsuitable to the pure life (brahmacarya). Excessively close or intimate contact can become an obstacle to a peaceful mind.
Third, this rule reflects the principle of "self-sufficiency" in the monastic community.
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