Lzh Mu Bi Pm Pc 69Upholstery

Tūlonaddha Sutta (On Covering Cloth)

Vinaya Piṭaka - Theravāda Tradition

Background

The Tūlonaddha Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Dharma, specifically in the Pātimokkha section, the basic code of discipline. It belongs to the detailed regulations concerning the everyday requisites of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in the Sangha.

The background for the establishment of this rule reflects practical situations in the life of the early Buddhist Sangha. The Buddha’s disciples continually encountered issues connected with the use and preservation of cloth, robes, and woven materials. The regulation concerning “covering cloth” (tūlonaddha) arose from the need to define clearly which kinds of cloth could be used in the monastery, how they should be protected, and the principles for sharing common property among members of the Sangha.

The Buddha’s laying down of these rules was not an arbitrary prohibition, but a means of training intended to help practitioners abandon attachment, envy, and other unwholesome qualities. At the same time, these regulations helped maintain harmony, discipline, and spiritual development within the community.

Main Content

The Tūlonaddha Sutta lays down prohibitions concerning the use of covering cloth without permission or without sharing it with the Sangha. Specifically, bhikkhus are not permitted to take possession of covering cloths, used for covering or improving the quality of robes or other items, without informing or receiving consent from their fellow monastics.

This rule addresses a potential problem: the ambition for private ownership. In the context of a humble renunciant life, regarding a material item as “mine alone” without sharing it with the community violates the spirit of the Sangha. The Dharma emphasizes that material things given to a bhikkhu are meant only to serve practical needs, not to be accumulated or displayed.