Lzh Mi Bi Vb Pc 162Making Tight Clothes for Another

Explanation: Making Close-Fitting Clothes for Another

Background

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the basic rules for bhikkhunīs. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not a discourse on transcendent truth, but a collection of training rules that help monks and nuns maintain communal discipline, develop spiritually, and build the confidence of lay supporters.

The making of close-fitting clothes, such as undergarments, has a special meaning in monastic life. The Pāli text records that the Buddha gave rules concerning clothing in order to guard against sensuality and preserve modesty within the Sangha community. The rule on making clothes for another reflects the principle of proper conduct and altruism in the Dharma.

Main Content

According to this rule, if a bhikkhunī herself sews, cuts, weaves, or makes close-fitting garments (jantaka-vattha) for another female person, whether another bhikkhunī or someone outside the religious life, without the permission of the Sangha or the person in charge, this is a Pācittiya offense, a minor offense requiring confession.

Pācittiya is a lighter class of offense in the Vinaya. It requires the bhikkhunī to openly confess before the Sangha or before another bhikkhunī and to undertake the act of confession. This does not lead to expulsion from the training, but it shows correction and the intention to improve.

The nature of this rule does not lie in the act of sewing by hand, since manual work is encouraged. Rather, it concerns the use of one’s labor to create personal items of a sensual nature without communal approval, or in a way that could create distinctions of possessions within the Sangha.

Practical Meaning

This rule teaches us three profound lessons. First, it reminds us that in the life of practice, even compassionate actions such as working for another person need mindfulness and must not be governed by personal ambition.