Lzh Mg Bi Pm Pc 72Giving Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaradāna
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Sūtra on the Giving of Robes (Cīvaradāna)
Context
The Sūtra on the Giving of Robes is found within the Vinayapiṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha (code of rules) of the Theravāda tradition. These are the training rules that Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunīs must observe in their daily monastic life. This text was recorded in the context of the Buddha and his disciples living together in the monastic community, where regulations concerning the use of material possessions—robes in particular—were established in order to safeguard spiritual well-being and to prevent the arising of unwholesome mental states.
In the early period of Buddhism, robes (cīvara) were one of the four basic requisites of monastics, together with food, water, and shelter. However, the manner in which these articles were used and given gave rise to many disputes and violations of the precepts within the monastic community. For this reason, the Buddha laid down specific rules to regulate the giving of robes, with the aim of nurturing compassion, integrity, and non-greed.
Principal Contents
The Sūtra on the Giving of Robes sets forth the manner in which monastics may give, receive, and make use of robes in a way that accords with the Buddhist path. The specific contents of this text have not yet been fully rendered into translation in the present document; however, according to the context of the Theravāda Vinayapiṭaka, the text regulates such matters as: the conditions under which a monastic may receive robes from another person, the proper words and conduct when receiving a gift, the manner of distributing robes within the community, and those actions constituting violations related to greed or deception in the course of giving.
The text emphasizes that the purpose of giving is not to cultivate indulgence or attachment, but to meet genuine practical needs and to practice the virtue of selfless giving (dāna). The rules were established to prevent violations such as excessive preoccupation with clothing, the pursuit of devious schemes to obtain superior garments, or the stirring of conflict within the community on account of material possessions.
Practical Significance
The profound significance of the Cīvaradāna lies in the cultivation of a mind that is unattached to material things.
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