Lzh Mi Bu Vb Np 3Out-of-Season Robe Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Akālacīvara
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The Sutta on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth (Akālacīvara)
Background
The Sutta on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, belonging to the Nisaggiya Pācittiya section, offenses requiring the forfeiture of an item. It is recorded in the origin stories of the Vinaya Piṭaka, where the occasions on which the Buddha established rules to govern the life of the Sangha are preserved.
According to the traditional context, this sutta arose from specific situations in which bhikkhus failed to observe principles of restraint in using robes. The robe (cīvara) is not an ornament or an ordinary object; it bears sacred meaning as the symbol of going forth and of a bhikkhu's commitment to training. Therefore, the way a robe is handled, used, and kept directly reflects the practitioner's state of mind.
Main Content
The Sutta on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth prescribes that a bhikkhu should not use or store robe cloth at times that are not the appropriate season. In the monastic tradition, "season" (kāla) here refers to defined periods when the use of an outer robe is necessary and reasonable.
This rule was established to regulate a bhikkhu's absence from the Sangha over a long period. If a bhikkhu travels far away or prepares to depart without robe cloth properly distributed for that season, or if he deliberately stores robe cloth outside the prescribed season, this is considered a Nisaggiya Pācittiya offense - a form of violation requiring the bhikkhu to forfeit the offending item before the whole Sangha and confess.
This rule reminds us that the possession or use of monastic requisites must always be governed by the spirit of renunciation, not by personal needs or unnecessary preparation. A true practicing bhikkhu should always be ready to relinquish anything when it becomes an obstacle to spiritual progress.
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