Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 164Scents and Colors

The Sutra on Scents and Colors (Gandhavaṇṇaka)

Background

The Sutra on Scents and Colors belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically within the Pātimokkha, the list of rules of conduct that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must observe. This text is recorded in the Parivāra, the supplementary section of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition.

The background of the text concerns regulations on the use of personal articles by the Sangha. When the Tathāgata, the Buddha Śākyamuni, was still in the world, bhikkhus at times used materials such as scents and coloring agents for ornamentation or for preparing medicine. The Buddha, with boundless wisdom, set limitations in order to preserve the purity of the Sangha and avoid worldly expressions. The Sutra on Scents and Colors is one of the minor but deeply meaningful rules regulating the conduct of practitioners.

Main Content

The Sutra on Scents and Colors regulates the use of scent (gandha) and color or dye (vaṇṇa) in the community of bhikkhus. According to this rule, bhikkhus are not permitted to adorn their bodies with conspicuous perfumes or to color parts of the body for beautification. Such acts are regarded as Pācittiya offenses, light offenses in the Buddhist disciplinary system requiring acknowledgement and confession.

However, this rule does not completely forbid the use of scents and colors. Clear exceptions are prescribed: the use of scents and coloring substances for medical purposes, such as treating skin disease or other illnesses, is permitted. In addition, using these materials in lawful Buddhist ceremonies is not forbidden.

The key point of this text is to distinguish between the desire to display outward beauty, a worldly purpose, and the wish to heal illness as well as perform lawful rites of practice. The deeper reason is that bhikkhus should concentrate on nourishing the mind and wisdom, not on adorning the body in the manner of ordinary people.