Lzh Mg Bi Pm Np 9Requesting Fine Robes From a Combined Robe Fund
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dutiyaupakkhata
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Commentary on the Dutiyaupakkhata Sutta
Requesting Fine Robes From a Combined Robe Fund
Background
This sutta appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically within the Pātimokkha (the fundamental rules of discipline) of the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha, reflecting regulations concerning the management and distribution of robes — the communal property of the community of nuns. It is one of the secondary training rules (sikkhāpada) aimed at governing the conduct of female monastics within the Buddhist community.
The historical context reveals that, in the time of the Buddha, nuns living in community had the need to share their requisites for practice. Rather than each individual possessing robes separately, the Saṅgha established a "combined robe fund" to ensure that everyone had sufficient monastic robes. The Dutiyaupakkhata Sutta was recorded to guide nuns in how to properly request robes from this fund, so as to avoid greed or misuse.
Main Content
This sutta stipulates that if a nun wishes to request fine, high-quality robes from the combined robe fund of the Saṅgha, she must comply with certain conditions. First, she may not unilaterally select the type of robe she desires. Second, the request must be made known to the robe-masters or to the Saṅgha as a whole.
The sutta emphasizes the principles of fairness and the absence of personal greed. A request for robes must not arise from personal preference or fondness, but from an actual monastic need — for example, that an old robe has worn out and must be replaced in order to maintain the appropriate appearance befitting a nun. Each request must be considered with a balanced regard for both individual need and communal resources.
Importantly, this sutta does not prohibit requesting fine robes, but requires transparency and approval from the community. This reflects Buddhist philosophy: an individual should not exercise control over communal property for personal benefit.
Practical Significance
The Dutiyaupakkhata Sutta teaches us a profound lesson about relinquishing greed (lobha) and living together in fairness. This is not merely a monastic rule, but a training of the mind itself.
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