Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Pc 89Rainy-Season Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vassikasāṭikā
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Vassikasāṭikā Sutta: Robes for the Rainy Season
Background
The Vassikasāṭikā Sutta (Pāli: Vassika-sāṭikā) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the collection of rules governing the life and discipline of the Sangha in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The setting in which this discourse was established is connected with the adjustment of monastic life according to the seasons, especially the rainy season (vassa — vassaṃ) in India, when the Sangha gathered to practice in one place.
In the time of the Buddha, when the rainy season came, the bhikkhus were not to wander about, so as to avoid harming living beings. Therefore, the Blessed One laid down that each bhikkhu should have robes appropriate for this cold and damp season. This discourse is precisely the set of rules concerning the preparation and use of robes during the rainy season: Vassikasāṭikā (rainy-season robe).
In the context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, every rule arose from specific situations encountered by the Buddha, after which he set forth principles for the Sangha to follow. The rule on rainy-season robes is a concrete illustration of the careful and orderly nature of the early Buddhist community.
Main Content
According to the Vinaya tradition, the rule on the Vassikasāṭikā was intended to ensure that bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs had robes suitable for climatic conditions when the rainy season arrived. Its purpose was not only practical, to shield the body from cold and dampness, but also bore a deeper significance for practice.
According to the Buddha’s teaching, a bhikkhu was to possess at most three robes (ticcīvara): the outer robe (upperi vasana), the inner robe (antara vasana), and the lower robe (khandhaka vasana). However, when the rainy season came, the rule allowed an additional robe, the Vassikasāṭikā, to meet harsh weather conditions. This robe had to be prepared within the proper period, usually in the fifth or sixth month, corresponding to the rainy season in Southeast and South Asia.
The detailed rule includes: how to obtain the robe, its material, its size, and the period of use.
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