Lzh Mi Bu Vb Np 24A New Blanket Should be Kept for Six Years

The Chabbassa Sutta: A New Cloth Should Be Kept for Six Years

Background

This passage is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Nuns' Prātimokṣa (Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha), in the Nisaggiya Pācittiya section - rules concerning transgressions that require forfeiture of an item. This is the section of Dharma regulating the material life of bhikkhunīs, in order to protect the spirit and practice.

This sutta is recorded in the context of the Buddha giving specific guidance to the community of female renunciants on how to use and manage personal requisites, especially robes or cloths (saṅghāṭi, uttarāsaṅga). These rules differ from the administrative rules for male bhikkhus and reflect the careful consideration of the Buddha-Dharma in maintaining spiritual discipline.

Main Content

Chabbassa (chabbassa = six years) prescribes that a new cloth made or assigned to a bhikkhunī must be kept for at least six years. This means that if a bhikkhunī receives a new cloth from a layperson or from the monastic community, she may not discard it, give it away to someone else, or use it carelessly before this period has ended - unless there is a valid reason, such as the cloth being badly damaged or her leaving the Sangha.

If she violates this rule, the bhikkhunī commits a Nisaggiya Pācittiya offense, meaning that she must forfeit the object and return to proper standing if the offense can be expiated. This rule is not arbitrary punishment, but a way to train the mind not to cling to external material things, while at the same time teaching bhikkhunīs to manage the Sangha's property responsibly.

Practical Meaning

The Chabbassa rule teaches us two profound lessons. First, it is a step in the practice of non-attachment (vairāgya).