Lzh Mg Bu Pm Np 15A Sitting-Blanket
Pāli / Sanskrit:Nisīdanasanthata
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Commentary on the Nisīdanasanthata (The Sitting Mat)
Background
The Nisīdanasanthata belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, within the Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha (the code of rules for female monastics), specifically in the section on Nīvaraṇa Pācittiya (offenses requiring confession). This text records an incident relating to the manner in which bhikkhunīs within the monastic community made use of a sitting mat (nisīdana).
According to the Theravāda tradition, the regulations governing personal belongings and their use are founded upon the principles of humility, non-greed, and respect for the communal property of the Sangha. The sitting mat (nisīdana) is one of the essential requisites for a bhikkhunī, spread upon a chair or the floor when sitting in meditation, taking meals, or engaging in other activities.
This text records a specific situation in which a bhikkhunī used or handled a sitting mat in a manner inconsistent with the spirit of monastic training, or involving matters of ownership and the sharing of belongings within the convent.
Principal Content
The Nisīdanasanthata makes clear that using or taking possession of another's sitting mat without permission constitutes a transgression of the Vinaya. Specifically, if a bhikkhunī takes another bhikkhunī's sitting mat and uses it without asking leave, or if she intentionally damages, conceals, or appropriates that belonging, this is a Pācittiya offense (pāpikā) — an offense that must be confessed openly before the community of bhikkhunīs.
The Vinaya Piṭaka emphasizes that the personal belongings of each monastic, however small, must be respected. The unauthorized appropriation or use of another's property — even everyday articles such as a sitting mat — is regarded as a transgression of virtue (Sīla). This is not merely a matter of monastic regulation; it reflects a profound principle of honesty, respect, and refraining from taking what has not been given.
Such rules within the Vinaya Piṭaka are not intended to create hardship, but rather to build a community of practice grounded in mutual trust, self-discipline, and the cultivation of noble ethical conduct.
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