San Mg Bu Pm Sk 52Sandals
Pāli / Sanskrit:Upāhanāruḷha
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Upāhanāruḷha Sutta (The Sutta on Wearing Sandals)
Background
The Upāhanāruḷha Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, which contains detailed rules on the discipline and manner of life of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis in the Buddhist Sangha. This section, the Butsala Pātimokkha, records special rules related to clothing, basic requisites, and matters of daily life for renunciants.
In the context of ancient India, sandals or shoes were essential items of clothing for protecting the feet from hot ground, thorns, and sharp objects. Yet for bhikkhus living in simplicity and practice, the use of sandals also needed to be clearly regulated so that it accorded with the spirit of renunciation and freedom from sensual desire. The Upāhanāruḷha Sutta concerns specific rules on wearing and carrying sandals in different situations, especially in activities of practice, listening to the Dharma, or participating in the communal life of the Sangha.
Main Content
This sutta establishes principles for wearing sandals in different circumstances. According to the Theravāda Vinaya, bhikkhus are permitted to wear sandals to protect their health, but must avoid desire for sandals that are overly expensive, elaborately decorated, or beyond actual need.
Specifically, when bhikkhus lie on their side (upāhanāruḷha, that is, “lying with sandals placed to one side”), they should not leave sandals in inappropriate places or expose them in situations that would show discourtesy before elders or donors. The handling of sandals must express alertness, care for communal property, and respect for the shared space.
The related rules also include keeping sandals clean and not leaving them scattered or disorderly. This reflects a broader principle in the Vinaya Piṭaka: because bhikkhus do not privately own material possessions, caring for them is a form of respect for the common property of the Sangha.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.