Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Np 8Requesting Fine Robes From a Robe Fund
Pāli / Sanskrit:Upakkhata
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Kinh Upakkhata - Requesting Fine Robes From a Robe Fund
Background
The Upakkhata Sutta (Requesting Fine Robes From a Robe Fund) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, the code of monastic discipline of Theravāda Buddhism, for the purpose of regulating how bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs conduct themselves with regard to the communal property of the Saṅgha, and in particular the fund set aside to provide robes for monastics from the four directions.
In the time of the Buddha, monastics lived in dependence on the bare necessities—robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicine—yet the manner of receiving such requisites had to conform to the principles of purity and of not causing disturbance to the community. The robe fund was a mechanism that arose when lay supporters wished to offer general assistance to the Saṅgha, so as to avoid injustice or disputes over the distribution of requisites.
This sutta addresses the following situation: under what circumstances may a bhikkhu legitimately request fine robes from the communal fund, in proper accordance with the rules, without violating the precepts or undermining the confidence of those who have made the offering.
Main Content
The Upakkhata concerns the principle of requesting from the communal fund (yācanā-paṭisaṃvid). When a bhikkhu is in need of robes—whether a new robe, a replacement robe, or a finer robe for protection against the cold—he may not simply take one at will, but must carry out the proper formal procedure: requesting permission from the fund's steward or from the community of monastics, and presenting a legitimate reason.
The sutta makes clear that legitimate reasons include: an old robe that is worn and torn, a robe unsuitable for the climate, or the need to protect one's body. Conversely, requesting fine robes merely out of personal preference for attractive appearance, in order to resell them at a profit, or out of envy toward other bhikkhus who have been better provided for—such reasons are not accepted.
What is of paramount importance is integrity (avipatthaggāhaka). A bhikkhu must examine himself: does his motivation arise from genuine necessity, or from unwholesome qualities such as greed, aversion, and delusion?
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