Lzh Mg Bu Pm Pc 29Sewing Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvarasibbana
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Commentary on the Cīvarasibbana Sutta (Sewing the Robe)
Background
The Cīvarasibbana Sutta (Cīvara = inner robe, sibbana = sewing) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, the canonical collection containing the rules of practice and the governance of the monastic community in Theravāda Buddhism. This is not a discourse delivered for the purpose of awakening, but rather a detailed set of regulations concerning the making and care of the monastic robe—the most sacred garment of those who have gone forth into homelessness.
According to the Pāli canonical tradition, these rules were established by the Blessed One to maintain dignity and restraint, and to provide conditions conducive to practice. This text reflects the early Buddhist context in which monastics required specific guidance on daily life, from clothing to the smallest details of conduct.
Principal Contents
The sutta on robe-sewing focuses on the norms governing the making, repair, and safekeeping of communal Saṅgha property, in particular the monastic robe. Within the Vinaya Piṭaka, the robe is regarded as an object of profound spiritual significance, and not merely as coarsely sewn cloth.
The specific regulations include: how a robe is to be assembled from recycled pieces of cloth (a minimum of nine pieces or more), the decisions of the Saṅgha regarding the communal sewing of robes, who holds the right to receive a robe and who bears the responsibility for its care. The text also specifies the circumstances under which a monastic may repair their own robe, and when permission must be sought from the Saṅgha.
Notably, these rules are not concerned with aesthetics or personal comfort, but with the proper stewardship of communal property, the avoidance of waste, and the maintenance of unity within the community. Every detail—from the type of cloth permitted for use, to the manner of sewing, to the manner of storage—serves the purpose of minimizing conflict and sustaining the spirit of renunciation (nekkhamma).
Practical Significance
In the context of Theravāda practice, the sutta on robe-sewing is not an isolated matter; rather, it reflects the entire spirit of the Vinaya Piṭaka: the transformation of the seemingly mundane affairs of everyday life into occasions for cultivation and practice.
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