Lzh Mg Bi Pm Sk 14Not Enter Wearing Robe Like God Posou

Commentary on the Scripture: One Should Not Wear the Robe in the Manner of the Devas When Entering the Monastery

Context

This scripture belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Pāli Canon—the code of monastic discipline of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka records the rules of training that the Buddha Śākyamuni transmitted to his monastic disciples in order to maintain discipline and purity within the monastic community (Saṃgha).

The scripture concerns the manner of dress adopted by bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in daily life. In particular, it emphasizes that those who have gone forth into homelessness should not wear the robe in an ornate or arrogant fashion resembling that of the devas or mythological figures (posou—supramundane figures in ancient Indian belief). This constitutes an important point regarding simplicity, discipline, and adherence to the spirit of the renunciant life.

Principal Content

The scripture prescribes that bhikkhus must not wear the outer robe (uttarāsaṅga) in a manner that is elaborate, puffed out, or expressive of pride, as such figures appear in local legend. The robe of a bhikkhu must be worn in an ordinary, simple manner befitting one who has renounced the world and gone forth.

The reason this rule was established arises from the fundamental spirit of the Buddha-Dharma: humility, the absence of ambition for worldly honor, and the avoidance of conduct liable to give rise to conceit (māna). When those who have gone forth wear the robe in an ostentatious manner, or in a way associated with the appearance of divine beings, this may cause misunderstanding within the community, leading people to venerate them as deities, and thereby creating conditions for the arising of ambition and arrogance.

This regulation is also connected to the principle of the Pātimokkha—the list of precepts that every bhikkhu and bhikkhunī must observe. It forms part of the self-regulation of conduct, progressively building a character that is pure and proper.

Practical Significance

This scripture teaches that the manner in which the robe is worn is not merely a matter of aesthetics or attire, but is an expression of the mind—the mind of one engaged in practice.