Lzh Mi Bi Vb Np 14Haste-Cloth

Exposition of the Accekacīvara Sutta (The Hasty Robe Sutta)

Background

The Accekacīvara Sutta is an important part of the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially among the rules concerning the personal property of bhikkhus. This body of discipline is recorded in the Pātimokkha, the code of rules that the whole Sangha must observe.

The background of this sutta arose when the Buddha and the early disciples went on alms round from village to village. A certain bhikkhu asked a layperson for a robe and immediately put it on to cover his body, without waiting for the proper time or completing the necessary procedures according to the community’s regulations. This hasty, disrespectful act lacking faith became a matter requiring correction.

The Buddha saw that such actions not only caused moral harm, but also reflected a state of mind lacking mindfulness (sati) and wisdom (paññā) in the use of material supports for practice. Therefore, he established this rule to regulate the way bhikkhus receive and use robes.

Main Content

The Accekacīvara Sutta states that when a bhikkhu receives a robe (cīvara) from a layperson or from other sources, he must not hastily (accheka, hurriedly or heatedly) take possession of or use it immediately without following the necessary procedures.

According to the Theravāda tradition, receiving a robe must be done with the acknowledgment of the Sangha, or at least with the agreement of fellow bhikkhus in the same monastery. Moreover, there must be an appropriate interval for consideration, and one should not act impulsively. This ensures that the item received is legitimate and not obtained through deception, theft, or violation of other rules.

The ideal of this rule is to prevent greed (lobha) and uncontrolled grasping at what has not properly been given (appadinnata) in the possession of material goods.