Lzh Mu Bi Pm Np 21Wearing 5 Robes Every Fortnight
Pāli / Sanskrit:Wearing 5 robes every fortnight
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Exposition of the Sutra: Wearing Five Robes Every Fortnight
Context
This sutra belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, a core part of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The Vinaya Piṭaka consists of the rules of practice that the Buddha Gotama established for the Sangha in order to maintain discipline and harmony within the renunciant community.
Regulations concerning clothing and the manner of wearing robes are an important part of the Vinaya. The robes of monks and nuns are not only symbols of the lineage of renunciants, but also instruments in the practice of karmic discipline. In the time of the Buddha, monks and nuns were permitted to own several pieces of robe-cloth for rotation and maintenance, but wearing robes also had to follow certain principles. These regulations arose when specific cases occurred in the Sangha, and the Buddha gave teachings to correct improper conduct.
The sutra “Wearing Five Robes Every Fortnight” presents a specific rule concerning the number of robes permitted to be worn and the frequency of changing them. It is an expression of the Dharma and Vinaya, showing the balance between personal freedom and collective discipline.
Main Content
According to the Pāli tradition, this sutra stipulates that monks and nuns may wear at most five pieces of robe-cloth within a half-month period (Uposatha Saṅkhāra). This rule is not an absolute prohibition, but practical guidance to avoid the abuse of ownership and to maintain the humility of the renunciant.
Five robes are considered a reasonable number for these purposes: first, to ensure cleanliness through a cycle of washing; second, to avoid accumulating too many requisites, which is contrary to the aspiration of renunciation; third, to reflect the principle of “minimizing material ambition” (apariggaha), one of the outer forms of the Dharma and Vinaya.
Monks and nuns must remember that these robes are to be cared for properly, not used excessively so as to cause damage, and should be regarded as instruments of practice, not as private possessions. Every half-month, one should review one’s robes.
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