Lzh Mi Bu Pm Np 13Taking Back Robe-Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraacchindana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Cīvaraacchindana Sutta - On Taking Back Robes
Background
The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta (Taking Back Robes) belongs to the Theravāda Vinaya tradition and is found among the detailed regulations on the management of property within monastic communities. The background for the arising of this text comes from disputes over the ownership of robes in the community of monks and nuns, when teachers deliberately kept back robes that had been allotted, or when arguments arose among monastics over the right to use robes.
In Theravāda Buddhism, robes are not personal property but communal property of the monastic body, distributed according to the needs and merit of each person. Thus the issue of taking back robes became a necessary legal regulation for maintaining discipline and fairness within the holy community.
Main Content
The text clearly prescribes the cases and procedures by which the monastic community may need to take back robes from monks or nuns. Such situations commonly arise when a monastic violates rules concerning the use of communal property, such as actively hoarding or abusing allotted robes, or when that person is removed from the monastic body because of a violation of a disciplinary rule.
According to this rule, the taking back of robes must be carried out formally, openly, and in accordance with proper procedure. It cannot be done suddenly or violently, but must follow the prescribed steps. First, the community must clearly confirm the person’s state of violation, then issue a warning, and finally, if there is no correction, proceed to take back the robes.
A distinctive point is that this text also makes clear that taking back robes may be done only with garments exceeding reasonable need or with property that has been used for improper purposes. Robes necessary for the ordinary practice of the holy life should not be taken away, because they are basic means enabling a monastic to practice the Dharma.
Practical Meaning
Although this text focuses on specific legal details, its deeper meaning lies in maintaining balance between individual freedom and communal discipline.
🌏 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.