Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 123Owning Narrow Comb
Pāli / Sanskrit:Owning narrow comb
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Explanation of the Sutta on Owning a Narrow Comb (Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 123)
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Pācittiya section, rules of practice concerning minor offenses requiring confession (pācittiya-dhamma). The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of regulations on monastic discipline and the conduct of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, intended to preserve harmony and purity in the Sangha community.
The Pācittiya section records specific situations in the daily life of monastics when the Buddha and senior disciples recognized the need for clear guidance in order to avoid conduct harmful to the mind of practice. The Sutta on Owning a Narrow Comb is one of these detailed rules, concerning the possession and use of personal items, especially small objects such as a narrow comb.
Main Content
The specific content of this sutta has not been fully translated in the available material. However, based on the context of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, this rule concerns the principle of “personal possessions” in the Sangha community.
According to the spirit of the Vinaya, monastics are permitted to possess essential items needed for the life of practice, including three robes, a bowl, a sitting mat, and some other basic requisites. A comb is regarded as a valid hygiene implement. Yet the Vinaya Piṭaka consistently warns against the desire to possess more than is necessary, because this leads to distinction, jealousy, and disorder in the community.
This rule teaches that monastics should not accumulate too many or overly fine items, even small things such as narrow combs. Observing this rule is a training in simplicity, freedom from sensual desire, and the cultivation of wisdom to recognize that true happiness does not lie in possession, but in liberation from material bonds.
Practical Meaning
The sutta teaches that attention to small details in the possession of objects is an indispensable part of virtue (sīla).
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