Lzh Dg Bu Pm Sk 53Not Teach One With Robes Around Neck
Pāli / Sanskrit:Not teach one with robes around neck.
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Explanation of the Sutta "Not Teaching Those Who Have Robes Wrapped Around the Neck"
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, the disciplinary regulations for the community of monks and nuns. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not only the administrative code of the order, but a concrete expression of the spirit of Buddhist practice.
The background of this sutta comes from the early stage in the development of the Sangha, when kings and nobles began building monasteries and providing robes for bhikkhus. People who wished to join the Sangha but whose motives were not pure, or who wished to retain their social status, often acted deceitfully. They might wear monastic garments unofficially or wrap robes around the neck in an improper way, showing that they had not fully surrendered themselves to the Dharma. This was a sign of clumsiness, lack of respect, or deceitful intention in Buddhist practice.
The Buddha gave this instruction to protect the integrity of the Sangha and to ensure that those who teach the Buddha-Dharma are truly those who have abandoned pride and respect even the smallest rules.
Main Content
"Not teaching those who have monastic garments wrapped around the neck" is a clear prohibition: bhikkhus should not transmit the Buddha-Dharma, especially profound teachings such as Dhamma and Vinaya, to those who wear monastic garments improperly.
The act of wrapping the robe around the neck instead of wearing it according to rule, with one shoulder covered and one shoulder exposed (ekaṃsaṃ uttarāsaṅgaṃ), symbolizes disrespect. It shows that the person does not yet have the right mental attitude and is not fully ready to submit himself. In the Theravāda tradition, the way a bhikkhu wears the robe is not merely an aesthetic matter but also expresses the mental posture of practice.
This prohibition is not meant as punishment but as education. It reminds us that before receiving the profound Buddha-Dharma, a practitioner must first learn to respect even the smallest matters.
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