Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Np 2Staying Apart From Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Udosita
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The Udosita Discourse: Staying Apart from Monastic Robes
Background
The Udosita discourse appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically in the Pātimokkha. It is one of the regulations concerning the life of practice of bhikkhus in the Buddhist Saṅgha. The content of this discourse was recorded and explained in order to clarify basic disciplinary principles that maintain the purity and self-mastery of monastics.
In the context of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, each regulation is not merely a restrictive order, but the result of specific situations experienced by the Buddha and the bhikkhus. The Udosita discourse reflects the relationship between a bhikkhu and objects peripheral to the life of practice, especially robes, symbols of status, possession, and attachment to the mundane world.
Main Content
The word “Udosita” means “staying apart,” “separated,” or “not connected.” This discourse concerns the fact that a bhikkhu should not possess or keep too many robes beyond the actual needs of a monastic. According to the rule in the Vinaya Piṭaka, bhikkhus may possess only three robes (ticīvara): the inner robe, the upper robe, and the outer robe.
The Udosita discourse emphasizes that possessing too many robes is a subtle form of craving, reflecting attachment to outward adornment and to dignity based on material things. It is an obstacle to the path of practice directed toward renunciation (nekkhamma), the departure from and liberation from worldly desires. This rule also prevents inequality in the Saṅgha, because if some bhikkhus possess more robes than others, it may create distinction and envy.
In addition, this discipline teaches bhikkhus economy, the use of only what is necessary to survive, not to satisfy sensory pleasure or construct an image of oneself.
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