Vinaya of the Mūlasarvāstivāda: The Matter of Leather (根本說一切有部毘奈耶皮革事)

Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya: The Leather Works, Chapter 3

Translation by Tripitaka Master Yijing of the Tang Dynasty, Under Imperial Commission

At that time, the Blessed One was staying in the Jeta Grove, in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍada, near Śrāvastī. The Venerable Upananda, having just recently become a monk, was given a bed that was old and rickety. Whenever he moved, the bed would creak, so if he lay down on it, he didn't dare to shift his position for fear of making noise.

Then Upananda thought: "If I don't beg for a better bed, I don't deserve to be called Upananda."

So at dawn, he went to King Prasenajit’s palace. The king said, "Welcome, holy man Upananda! Did you sleep well?"

Upananda replied, "My lord, even though I lie down, my mind is constantly filled with fear. Before I became a monk, I slept on bedding eight layers thick. Now, after becoming a monk, since I have low seniority, I was given a broken bed. If I so much as touch it, it makes a sound. I dare not even turn over for fear it will break. It's a great hardship. How could I possibly sleep well?"

The king asked, "But are you allowed to sleep on such eight-layered bedding?"

"Yes," Upananda answered. "Where in the Dharma does the Buddha forbid sleeping on eight-layered bedding?"

The king said, "If you abide by the Dharma, I will give such bedding to you. Take it as you wish."

But Upananda said to the king, "I am not a king myself, so how can I simply take royal property from you? You should send men to bring it to the monastery, and then I will receive it."

So the king provided eight men: four to carry the bedding and four to carry the bed. Upananda got the bed and bedding, laughed joyfully, and followed along.

On the road, there were laypeople and brahmins who saw this and asked, "Whose belongings are these?"

Upananda answered, "They were given by the king."

They asked further, "But if you take this bed, where will the king sleep?"

"The king sleeps in his own dwelling," Upananda replied. "This bed and these things are mine."

Hearing this, the people immediately began to criticize: "These bald-headed monks are storing up bedding fit for pleasure!"

Upananda went back to the monastery, swept and cleaned the ground, and smeared it with cow dung, then set up the bed and bedding by the door. When the Buddha arrived at the door, Upananda saw the Buddha, rejoiced, and said, "World-honored One! Look at my bed! Look at my bed!"

The Buddha looked at it, remained silent, gathered the monks, sat down on the seat, and said to them: "If a monk sits or lies on a high or luxurious bed, all kinds of faults will arise from it. From now on, any monk who sits or lies on such a bed commits an offense against the Dharma."

A wealthy elder prepared a high seat and invited the Buddha and the assembly of monks to his home for an offering. The Venerable Ananda arrived at the elder's home first, saw the high seat, and said to him, "This high seat is not in accordance with the Dharma. You should remove it immediately." Just as the elder was about to remove it, the Buddha arrived at the home. Knowing what had happened, the Buddha still asked, "What are you doing?" Ananda replied, "We are removing the seat that is not in accordance with the Dharma." The Buddha said to Ananda, "I have not forbidden the use of high seats in every situation. In the homes of laypeople, it is allowed. However, if one sits or lies down on such a seat within a monastery, it is a transgression against the Dharma."

At that time, a monk from the south came to the city of Shravasti, wearing only the three robes. He prostrated before the World-Honored One. He had a leather mat that he used to sit on. Upananda saw this and followed him, offering greetings and praise. Once the monk had rested for a while, Upananda made a request: "My good mendicant, would you be willing to give me this leather? I travel between monasteries and would like to carry it with me to use when I visit stupas and pilgrimage sites." The monk replied, "Upananda, if I give it to you, will you be able to take it away?" Upananda answered, "I am strong enough to carry this leather; it's no trouble at all." The monk said, "Then I won't give it to you." Upananda became angry at these words and remained silent, thinking to himself, "The cowherd of King Prasenajit, whose name is Vatsa, is an old acquaintance of mine. He has leather, and if I ask him, I will surely get some."

With this thought, he went to see Vatsa. It was early spring, and a spotted calf had just been born—a very lovely creature. Upananda stroked the calf, expressing his affection. Vatsa saw this and asked, "Venerable sir, do you need some milk?" Upananda replied, "No, but I admire this calf's hide. If I could have it for a mat, it would be perfect for supporting my body and practicing peacefully." Vatsa said, "Venerable sir, please go back now. I understand your wish."

Soon after Upananda left, Vatsa had someone kill the calf, skin it, and deliver the hide to Upananda. Following orders, that person slaughtered the calf in front of its mother, skinned it, and brought the hide to Upananda. The mother cow, overcome with love for her calf, bellowed loudly and followed the hide all the way. The man carrying the hide entered the Jetavana monastery, and the mother cow stood waiting outside the gate.

The World-Honored One saw this cow and, knowing full well what had happened, asked Ananda, "Why is this cow standing outside the gate, crying out?" Ananda replied, "Great Sage, because Upananda had a calf killed and its hide taken to make a mat. This cow is the mother of that calf. Out of love for her offspring, she has followed the hide here and now stands outside the gate." The World-Honored One then thought, "A transgression has occurred because of this hide." He went to the assembly of monks, took his seat, and said to them, "Upananda is foolish and ignorant. For the sake of a hide, he has done something unworthy of a renunciant. Therefore, from now on, no monk shall use animal hides. Any monk who does so commits an offense against the Dharma."