I vaguely remember that one shouldn’t have posters of celebrities or people or something like that as decoration within the monastery, and art decoration is best with nature motive. Is there anything in the Vinaya which prohibits putting say posters of celebrities (or superheroes) in my kuṭi?
Just for academic interest, I am not the type of person to want to put posters in my room.
Ok found the reference from my Buddhist art lecture (degree course) notes when I took it way back in 2016.
During the time of the Buddha, monks decorated their dwellings with paintings of male and
female figures. The Buddha came to know about it and advised them to discontinue the
practice and to decorate the walls with flower motifs (mālākamma) and creeper motifs
(latākamma). This shows there was a tradition of painting in ancient India and it had its
influence on the dwellings of the sangha.
The monks were allowed to paint but were limited to the number of motifs. Wreath work,
creepers work was allowed. Imaginative paintings of male and female figures were
disallowed in the monastic buildings. Paintings of Jataka stories and similar stories could
be done by others.
1.4 The prohibition against pictures
4. Paṭibhānacittapaṭikkhepa
At that time the monks from the group of six had pictures
Tena kho pana samayena chabbaggiyā bhikkhū vihāre paṭibhānacittaṁ kārāpenti—
of women and men drawn in a dwelling.
itthirūpakaṁ purisarūpakaṁ.
When people walking about the dwellings saw this, they complained and criticized them,
Manussā vihāracārikaṁ āhiṇḍantā passitvā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—
“They’re just like householders who indulge in worldly pleasures!”
“seyyathāpi gihī kāmabhogino”ti.
They told the Buddha.
Bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesuṁ.
“You shouldn’t have pictures drawn
“Na, bhikkhave, paṭibhānacittaṁ kārāpetabbaṁ—
of women and men.
itthirūpakaṁ purisarūpakaṁ.
If you do, you commit an offense of wrong conduct.
Yo kārāpeyya, āpatti dukkaṭassa.
I allow you to make garland patterns, creeper patterns, shark-teeth patterns, and the fivefold pattern.”
Anujānāmi, bhikkhave, mālākammaṁ latākammaṁ makaradantakaṁ pañcapaṭikan”ti.
A bit ambiguous. But also not really. Painting made by Ajahn Brahm (common knowledge is that he’s too busy to paint, and it’s not his known thing.), or painting depicting Ajahn Brahm.
Of course the latter. Not just painting, let’s see about photos. So many photos of other great monks as well. How about painting of Buddha? Buddha statue maybe counted as separate thing from painting.
How about if it is painted by lay people and not monks? So if lay people paint, anything goes? But the wording of the rule of shouldn’t have pictures drawn seems to be if the monks are at all in control of what’s being drawn, then it can count as offence.
But then it’s a popular motive to have jātaka tales as drawings in some monasteries.
