Lzh Dg Bi Pm Pc 109Ending the Robe-Making Season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kathinuddhāra
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The Kathinuddhāra Rule — Ending the Robe-Making Season
Background
Kathinuddhāra is an important regulation in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, connected with ending the “Kathina” season, a special period in the monastic year of monks and nuns. The Kathina season was established to give the Buddhist lay community the opportunity to offer Kathina robes to monks and nuns on the occasion of the end of the Mid-Autumn period or the end of the summer in the East.
According to the Theravāda tradition, after the Buddha entered meditation, or in different regions, monks had difficulty sewing robes because there was not enough time between practice duties and administrative activities. To address this, the Buddha allowed the establishment of the Kathina period, lasting about one month, during which monks and nuns could concentrate on making robes from donated cloth without being bound by the strict daily regulations.
Main Content
Kathinuddhāra stipulates the official procedure for ending the Kathina season. When the Kathina cloth has been sewn, or when the one-month period is about to end, the Sangha must hold a Parisuddhi, a purification ceremony, to formally end this period. This ceremony is performed at the assembly of the Sangha or at the place where the Sangha gathers.
During the ending, an appointed monk announces that the Kathina period has ended, and from that moment the usual strict regulations are restored. The special advantages enjoyed by monks during the Kathina season, such as permission to keep extra robes or not being regarded as turning away when setting out on almsround, no longer remain in effect.
The Pāli rule provides precise formulas for announcing this ending, ensuring that the whole Sangha knows clearly when the Kathina season ends, so that each monk can adjust his actions and decisions in accordance with the rules after this period.
Practical Meaning
Kathinuddhāra expresses a basic principle of the Vinaya Piṭaka: flexibility is combined with clarity.
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