Ka Bu Pm Np 11Silk Blanket

Sutra on the Silk Blanket (Kosiya Sutta)

Background

The Sutra on the Silk Blanket is a section from the Vinaya Pitaka of the Theravada tradition, belonging to the Khandaka section. This section records a regulation on managing the property of the Sangha in the early days when the teaching was being transmitted.

The event was recorded when bhikkhus in the Sangha began to accumulate valuable items, including soft silk blankets, a type of cloth regarded as a symbol of pleasure and ambition. The Buddha, wishing to maintain the spirit of humility and renunciation in the Noble Sangha, established specific rules on the use of these items, in order to prevent the decline of practice and maintain the purity of the Sangha.

Main Content

The Sutra on the Silk Blanket revolves around the question of whether bhikkhus may use high-quality silk blankets. At first, there were disputes in the Sangha about this: some held that bhikkhus who had been diligent in practice deserved to enjoy finer items.

However, the Buddha clearly declared that bhikkhus should use simple requisites appropriate to the spirit of renunciation. The Buddha explained that attachment to unusual objects (kammasukkha-sikkhā) is an obstacle in practice. Soft silk blankets, with their alluring beauty, easily arouse feelings of craving (tanha) and identification (sakkayaditthi), which contradict the path of one who has gone forth.

The regulation established by the Buddha is that bhikkhus should use coarse blankets, not overly luxurious ones. If better cloth must be used for reasons of health, this should be by special permission and under certain conditions, not as a general right.

Practical Meaning

The Sutra on the Silk Blanket is not only a regulation about managing material things, but a profound lesson on restraint of the senses (indriyasamvara).