Lzh Mi Bi Pm Np 24Light Cloaks
Pāli / Sanskrit:Lahupāvuraṇa
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Lahupāvuraṇa Sutta: On Light, Thin Cloaks
Background
Lahupāvuraṇa (Light Cloaks) is a text belonging to the Patimokkhasaṅgaha, the section of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition regulating clothing. This discourse belongs to the Nissaggiya Pācittiya rules, offenses requiring forfeiture of the offending item and confession, specifically section 24 of the Pātimokkha, the collection of 227 rules for monks, or 311 for nuns, to be observed by bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.
The context for the composition of this discourse is connected with the management of personal requisites in the Sangha. The Buddha established detailed rules concerning clothing and daily requisites in order to renew the mind of renunciation and prevent worldly desires to which monastics might still be attached. In particular, the rules on “light cloaks” reflect a practical issue: light garments, easy to wear and maintain, could become objects of greed or be used beyond actual need.
Main Content
Lahupāvuraṇa deals with the situation in which a bhikkhu owns or stores light cloaks beyond the permitted number. According to the rule, a bhikkhu is permitted to keep at most three sets of lower garments (dhoti), and any additional garments must be authorized by the Sangha. If the rule is exceeded, this is regarded as a Nissaggiya Pācittiya offense, meaning that the offending item must be forfeited before the Sangha or another bhikkhu, and then the offense must be confessed.
Specifically, when a bhikkhu stores unnecessary light garments or exceeds the permitted number without declaring this to the Sangha, he commits an offense. The purpose of this rule is not to restrict freedom, but to train restraint and clear awareness of real need as distinct from lingering desires.
Practical Meaning
The deeper meaning of the Lahupāvuraṇa Sutta does not lie in administrative details, but in the principle of practice it represents. In Theravāda Buddhism, every precept is an opportunity to train awareness, cultivate concentration, and activate wisdom (paññā).
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.