Camma (Hide or Leather) in Theravāda-Vinaya: The Tension Between Permission and Prohibition

This paper examines the issue of Buddhist monastics’ use of leather by analyzing the cases of leather (camma) in the Pāli vinaya. Leather is a household item that can conflict with the core Buddhist values of non-killing (ahiṃsā) and compassion (karuṇā), because it is obtained through the killing of animals. Therefore, the issue of leather use by monastics should be carefully investigated. According to the Pāli vinaya, the use of leather is sometimes permitted and sometimes prohibited, but the criteria for making this judgment are not clear. In the commentaries on the Pāli vinaya, “use” (paribhoga) is permitted, but “carrying around” (pariharaṇa) is prohibited. However, when looking at the leather-related cases in the Pāli vinaya, there are cases where monastics are reluctant to use leather itself, so there are still some parts that cannot be fully explained in the commentaries. Focusing on the rules regarding the use of leather in the Pāli vinaya, this paper examines the primary factors that have become the criteria for permitting or prohibiting the use of leather by monastics. Through this, the paper aims to reveal that the rules on the use of leather are more deeply connected to the perceptions of secular society than to the core Buddhist values of non-killing and compassion.