Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 105Group Robes

The Gaṇacīvara Rule (The Rule on Group Robes)

Background

Gaṇacīvara, or “Group Robes,” is a Pācittiya offense belonging to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. It is recorded in the Pātimokkhasutta, the monastic code for nuns (Bhikkhunī Vinaya) and monks (Bhikkhu Vinaya), reflecting the effort of the Buddha Śākyamuni to regulate the ethical life of the monastic community.

The context in which this rule arose came from disputes and discord within the monastic community around the issue of sharing robes. During the Buddha’s lifetime, monastics had the habit of gathering together to own robes jointly for the purpose of saving resources and supporting one another. However, this practice led to arguments about ownership, fair distribution, and how to balance equality with individual need. Because of these conflicts, the Buddha established a clear rule to regulate this habit of shared ownership of robes.

Main Content

Gaṇacīvara stipulates that when a group of monastics (gaṇa) decides to own a robe jointly, they must follow certain principles. This rule emphasizes that if the property or robe is declared to be a common product of the group (gaṇa-bhogga), then any member of the group has the right to use it without asking permission from each other individual. This is regarded as a reasonable form of organization to avoid unnecessary disputes.

However, the rule also states clearly that if a monastic abuses this principle, or tries to take possession of the shared robe for oneself without following the regulation, that person commits a Pācittiya, an offense that must be confessed and corrected before the Sangha. This is not among the gravest offenses in the Vinaya Piṭaka, but it reflects a violation of the principle of mutual support and honesty within the community of practice.

This rule is also connected with the general principle concerning how property is handled in the community: whether property belongs to an individual, a group, or a monastery.