BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

The Living Plant Chapter Chapter 8.219. When a bhikkhu is having a large dwelling built, he maysupervise two or three layers of facing to plaster the area around thewindow frame and reinforce the area around the door frame the widthof the door opening, while standing where there are no crops tospeak of. Should he supervise more than that, even if standing wherethere are no crops to speak of, it is to be confessed."Now at that time a chief minister who was Ven. Channa's supporter was having adwelling built for Ven. Channa. Ven. Channa had the finished dwelling covered withroofing material again and again, plastered again and again, so that the dwelling,overloaded, caved in. Then Ven. Channa, collecting grass and sticks, despoiled thebarley field of a certain brahman. The brahman criticized and complained andspread it about, 'How can their reverences despoil our barley field?'... Bhikkhus...criticized and complained and spread it about, 'How can Ven. Channa have afinished dwelling covered with roofing material again and again, plastered again andagain, so that the dwelling gets overloaded and caves in?'"This rule is an extension of Sg 7, giving further directions for how to go aboutbuilding a dwelling for one's own use when sponsored by another person. Becausethe rule deals with techniques used in building wattle and daub dwellings 2,500years ago, the rule and its explanations in the Canon and commentaries containterms whose meaning is uncertain at present. The syntax of the rule suggests oneinterpretation, the Commentary another, while the Vibhaṅga is non-committal on thepoints where the two interpretations differ. Because both interpretations make sense,we will present them both.What the rule seems to say. The area 1.25 meters around the door frame is to becovered with up to three layers of plaster or roofing material to reinforce it so thatwhen the door is blown open or shut it will not damage the wall or be loosened fromits hinges. Five kinds of roofing material are mentioned in the Vibhaṅga: tiles,stones, lime (cement), grass, and leaves.Similarly, around the windows, an area the width of the window shutters is to bereinforced with up to three layers of plaster to protect it from being damaged whenthe shutters are blown open or shut. Three kinds of plaster were used in theBuddha's time — white, black, and ochre — and bhikkhus were allowed to applythem in a number of geometrical patterns, but not to use them to make obscenepictures of men and women on the walls (!) (Cv.VI.3.1-2). Although the bhikkhuswere allowed to cover the entire walls and floor with this plaster, this rule givesdirections only for the minimum area that should be covered to keep the wallsstrong.What the Commentary says. Because the rule refers to roofing material, theCommentary assumes that it must refer to the roof of the dwelling, even though thisassumption does violence to the syntax of the rule. Its interpretation: One mayreinforce the door and window frames with as much plaster or roofing material as281