Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Np 15A Sitting-Blanket

Discourse on the Sitting Cloth (Nisīdanasanthata)

Background

The Nisīdanasanthata discourse is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha. These are rules concerning the daily life, equipment, and conduct of bhikkhunīs in the early community of practice.

The sitting cloth (nisīdana, also called a sitting mat) is a piece of cloth or covering used when sitting, in order to protect the robes and maintain cleanliness during meditation practice or daily activities. This discourse records detailed guidance on the use, making, and care of this sitting cloth, reflecting the careful management by the Saṅgha of property and a minimal way of life.

The background for establishing such rules usually arose from specific offenses or abuses that the Buddha observed, from which he gave instruction to regulate the conduct of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in accordance with the spirit of practice.

Main Content

This discourse sets out detailed standards and restrictions concerning the sitting cloth. According to the principles of the Vinaya Piṭaka, bhikkhunīs are permitted to possess basic requisites necessary for practice, but they must observe certain limits in size, material, and number.

The sitting cloth must not be too wide or too long, avoiding luxury or excess. In addition, the discourse makes clear that it is inappropriate if a bhikkhunī intentionally conceals or stores sitting cloths beyond the prescribed limit, or uses them for secondary purposes inconsistent with the life of virtue.

These regulations are also connected with the broader principle of sharing communal property in the Saṅgha. When a bhikkhunī has an extra sitting cloth, she should return it to the Saṅgha or give it to someone else who needs it, rather than keep it for herself. This reflects the spirit of abandoning possession and attachment to material goods.