Lzh Mg Bu Pm Np 5Used Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Purāṇacīvara
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The Sutta on Used Robes (Purāṇacīvara)
Background
The Sutta on Used Robes is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, which is the collection of regulations governing the discipline and communal life of the Sangha in early Buddhism. The Vinaya Piṭaka is divided into three principal sections: the Sutta Vibhaṅga (detailed treatment of the training rules), the Khandhaka (chapters on general matters), and the Parivāra (supplementary material). This sutta belongs among the most practically oriented regulations, bearing directly upon the daily life of the bhikkhus within the Sangha.
The Buddha established rules concerning robes not for reasons of adornment or bodily comfort, but to nurture the spirit of practice and to cultivate non-attachment to material things. Each passage of vinaya scripture originates from a specific situation—some event within the monastic community in response to which the Buddha felt it necessary to provide guidance and instruction.
Principal Content
The Sutta on Used Robes (Purāṇacīvara) centers on the matter of using robes that have already been worn and are of advanced age. The specific content of this sutta has not yet been fully translated, but according to the general context of the Vinaya Piṭaka, it concerns the permitting or prohibiting of accepting, making use of, or wearing robes that are old and worn.
In Theravāda Buddhism, bhikkhus are permitted to possess a maximum of three sets of robes (Ticīvaram). The purpose of this regulation is not to restrict comfort, but to maintain a spirit of humility and non-greed. The Sutta on Used Robes likely centers on determining when a robe is to be considered "old," and whether it may continue to be used or must be mended, as well as identifying exceptional circumstances in which necessity may require an adjustment of these rules.
Flexibility in the application of these rules is also of great importance. Theravāda Buddhism does not encourage unreasonable rigidity, but rather a balance between discipline and compassion (karuṇā).
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