Lzh Mu Bi Vb Np 6Asking an Unrelated Person for Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Aññātakaviññatti
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Sutta on Asking an Unrelated Person for Robes (Aññātakaviññatti)
Background
The Aññātakaviññatti text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Canon, the collection of rules for the Buddhist monastic community. This collection is recorded in the form of disputes or practical issues that arose in the early Saṅgha, which the Buddha Gotama resolved in order to establish pure rules of communal life.
This text is especially related to the matter of receiving robes, an important possession of monks and nuns. In the life of practice, the robe (cīvara) is not only a practical item but also a symbol of going forth and discipline. According to the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, the management of robes must follow strict principles in order to avoid mistakes concerning ownership or needless disputes within the community.
Main Content
The issue raised in this text is this: a monk or nun wishes to ask for a robe from someone who is not a devotee or is not related by blood (aññātaka, an outsider), that is, a person whom the monastic does not know well. This is a situation that must be clarified according to the Vinaya, because asking for and receiving robes from strangers may lead to suspicion about motives or to undesirable consequences.
The Buddha Gotama carefully considered this issue in the context of the principles of practice. The rule was established to protect both the honor of monastics and the respect of the lay community. However, the specific content of the ruling recorded in this text has not yet been fully translated in the available sources. Even so, we may understand that the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka always encourages monastics to receive robes from those who have faith and are known to them, or through official channels, in order to avoid misunderstandings.
The general principle in the Vinaya is purity (suddhisīla) and demonstrability (sampattisīla). All actions of a monk or nun must be capable of being clearly explained before the community in order to maintain public trust.
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