Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 4Na kalāpakaṁ

The Sutta on Na Kalāpakaṁ — An Exposition of the Vinaya

Background

The Sutta on Na Kalāpakaṁ belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, situated specifically within the Mahābhikkhunivinaya (the Vinaya for bhikkhunīs). It is a detailed rule concerning regulations on clothing and material possessions for bhikkhunīs.

In its historical context, when the Buddha established the order of nuns, he promulgated rules aimed at maintaining discipline, cultivating moral virtue, and protecting the Dharma community from criticism by wider society. Regulations concerning robes and personal belongings constitute foundational rules, reflecting the spirit of humility and non-greed characteristic of early Buddhist practice.

The term "Na kalāpakaṁ" relates to cloth and robes (kalāpa) and to restrictions on the quantity or type of cloth that bhikkhunīs are permitted to possess. This rule is intended to restrain the tendency toward greed and to preserve a simple mode of living befitting the renunciant life.

Principal Content

The Sutta on Na Kalāpakaṁ stipulates that bhikkhunīs are not permitted to possess an excess of cloth or robes beyond what is necessary for their practice and daily life. Specifically, the rule addresses the following:

First, the number of robes (cīvara) that may be possessed must remain within the prescribed limits. Should a bhikkhunī possess robes in excess of the stipulated number, this is regarded as a transgression of the Pāṭimokkha (the fundamental code of discipline) or of its supplementary regulations.

Second, the source of cloth is likewise regulated. Bhikkhunīs may receive cloth only from legitimate sources — for instance, from lay devotees who offer it as a gift or from the Saṅgha — and may not seek out cloth on their own initiative or arrange conditions by which cloth might be obtained indirectly.

Third, the use of cloth must accord with the station of one who has gone forth into homelessness. Cloth should not be excessively fine, brilliantly multicolored, or elaborately adorned, as such qualities may give rise to conceit or to attachment to sensory beauty.