Lzh Mu Bi Pm Np 2Staying Apart From Robes

The Udosita Sutra: The Section on Being Separated from Robes

Context

Udosita (udosita, from udo = separated + sita = robe) is a training rule (sikkhāpada) recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Nuns’ Pātimokkha (Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha) of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. This sutra arose from a historical event in the early community of nuns, when the Buddha discovered that some nuns were behaving in a way unworthy of the four supports, namely robes, bowl, lodging, and medicine.

At the time of the Buddha, the management of monastic property, especially communal requisites (samuggha), including robes, was a sensitive matter. The training rules of the Vinaya were not established out of vagueness, but from concrete lessons when the Buddha witnessed nuns violating the rules. Udosita is a typical example of this method of setting down regulations.

Main Content

The Udosita training rule forbids nuns (bhikkhunī) from being separated from their robes for extended periods without a legitimate reason. Specifically, when a nun has robes (cīvara), she may not leave them elsewhere for more than three nights (tisso rattiyo) without the recognition of the monastic community or an authorized representative.

This rule reflects a basic principle in the Vinaya: protecting rightful possession and preventing the “forgetting” or “disappearance” of items. If a nun leaves her robes elsewhere for more than three nights, she is considered to have been “separated” from the robes, and this may lead to legal consequences within the Sangha, the monastic community.

The rule of “three nights” is not arbitrary, but is based on the realities of practice. It is a reasonable period during which a nun may temporarily leave her robes elsewhere, for example when traveling or sending them to be washed; beyond that is regarded as neglect of responsibility.

Practical Meaning

This training rule teaches us about responsibility toward property and carefulness in managing material things.