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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
405 Washing also was to be done for a sound reason, and not for the sake of decorating the body.
If the monks happened to get untorn cloth, then they were to tear it to the size they wanted. In tearing the cloth no himsā was supposed to take place.158 Emergencies:
Normally no exchange of clothing was allowed between the monks and the nuns. But it seems that when they were robbed of their clothes by the thieves exchange of clothes was allowed under very strict rules of proper conduct.
In this case, the monks and the nuns were allowed to offer clothes to one another through the youngest members of their respective groups. If such a one was not available, then the middle-aged could do so in the presence of either a sthavira or a sthavirā.159
In extreme cases of the shortage of proper clothing, the commentator goes to the length of advising the monks to put on the garments of other sects. He remarks:
'śākyādiveșeņa tadiya upāsakānāṁ yatibhyo vastradāpanāya prajñāpanārtham svayam vā grahaņam
vastrasyotpādanaṁ tadartham paralingam kartavyam/'160 If cotton clothing was not available, the monks were advised to get bark (valkaja), or 'pattavastra' (of tirīta) or the 'kauśikārā vastra'. In the absence of woollen cloth, he was allowed to have either first the bark-cloth, or secondly the 'kauśeya' or lastly the 'pattaja' cloth.161
On the whole, it may be said that the Church was alive to the different customs of different regions and it adjusted its rules regarding the clothing of monks according to the social environment around it. At the same time, however, it did its best to retain the fundamentals of the rules of proper clothing, simultaneously going a step further in giving more concessions than those in the texts of the Canon.
Requisites:
The Byhatkalpabhāsya162 gives the same list of requisites used by the Sthavirakalpikas and the Jinakalpikas as given in the Oghaniryukti, which
158. Ibid. 3919-51; 3992-98. 159. Ibid. Vol. III, 2976-88. 160. lbid. comm. on 2995, Vol. III. 161. Ibid. Vol. IV, 3668. 162. Ibid. 3962ff.
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