Bu Np 1616. Carrying wool too far
Pāli / Sanskrit:Eḷakaloma
A monk who carries wool on a long journey must relinquish it and confess the offense.
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Eḷakaloma Sutta — Carrying Wool Too Far
Background
The Vinaya Piṭaka preserves the rules and regulations governing the collective life of monastics, established by the Blessed One to protect the Dharma itself and to maintain harmony within the monastic community. The regulations concerning a monk's conduct on journeys and the carrying of possessions are not arbitrary restrictions, but rather guidelines that help the monastic keep the mind free and unburdened by worldly entanglements.
Bu Np 16 (Nissaggiya Pācittiya 16) falls within the section on offenses requiring forfeiture and confession, and reflects situations that commonly arose in the long-established monastic community. It addresses a specific case involving the carrying of wool — a useful material that can nonetheless lead to a relaxation of discipline if left unchecked. The formation of this rule originates from particular events within the Sangha during the time of the Blessed One, when certain monks were transporting wool over long distances without proper authorization.
Main Content
According to this rule, if a monk carries wool (eḷa) over an excessively long distance, exceeding the prescribed limit, he incurs an offense of Nissaggiya Pācittiya — that is, an offense requiring forfeiture of the item and confession.
This offense is not a trivial infraction. The carrying of wool over too great a distance has certain spiritual implications for the monastic. First, it reveals an unwarranted desire for material comfort — a truly renunciant monk has no need to carry wool with him on long journeys. Second, it indirectly violates the spirit of the original training, as wool is among the items associated with bodily comfort. Third, it may give rise to other tendencies, such as a diminished regard for discipline or acting out of personal convenience rather than in accordance with the Dharma.
The procedure for resolving this offense follows an established process: the monk must forfeit the item — that is, relinquish or return the wool — and then confess the offense before a fellow monk.
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