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254
S. B. DEO
or unmarried couples (vantha), were unfit for study or other religious duties of a monk. If no account of the presence of such people the monks postponed the reading and the study of the texts, then they were likely to forget their religious lessons. Moreover, the monks getting bashful due to the presence of such people were likely to delay to ease nature and fall ill, or else they had to go a long distance for that and were likely to commit himsā of living beings. If at night they scanned the ground by hand if they had to go to ease nature, then people were likely to suspect them as thieves, or as eunuchs, or as persons having an appointment with a lady. In an extensive lodge it was difficult for a monk to get help from others if women or eunuchs kidnapped him seeing his healthy body.225
The dangers of accepting a very small residence were that it left a scanty space for a monk to move about. In that case, he was likely to fall down frequently over the bodies of others which proved a sufficient cause for quarrel which ended even in the breaking of the requisites of the monk.226
The proper residence (pamāṇajutta) was supposed to be that which afforded for every monk a space measuring at least three hands (ekkekkassa ü tihatthasanthāro) for sleeping purposes and which made it possible to have a distance of twenty angulas between the bedding and the pots or requisites of a monk.227 This was considered to be the ideal distance between the bedding and the other essential things of a monk, as pots kept too close to the bed were likely to be broken by the monk if he moved his limbs in his sleep. If, on the other hand, they were kept at too long a distance from the bedding, then it was difficult to save them from mice and cats (majjāramūsaga).
The Method of Sleeping:
If they happened to obtain a very extensive lodge, then the monks reserved three sleeping places (i.e. three times bigger) (santhāragabhūmitigam) for the guru, and the rest of the monks had only one of normal size for each. In such an extensive (runda) lodge, they slept scattered so as to leave no room for any householder to sleep in between 228 If, however, the place was small, then they kept their requisites in the middle and slept around
225. Ogha-N. 217-24. 226. Ibid., 225. 227. Ibid., 226-227: 'bhāyanasamthärantara jaha visam angula hunti'. 228. Ibid. 202. "rundāë pupphaīņņā"
comm: yadyasau vasatirvistirņā bhavati tataḥ puşpāvakīrṇaḥ svapanti --puspaprakaravadyathāyatham svapanti yena sāgārikávakāso na bhavati.-P. 82b.
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