Lzh Mu Bu Pm Np 28Rainy-Season Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vassikasāṭika
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
The Sutta on Rainy-Season Robes
Vassikasāṭika – Vinaya Piṭaka
Background
The Vassikasāṭika (Rainy-Season Robe) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, and reflects a practical regulation within the monastic life of early Buddhism. Theravāda Buddhism regards the Vinaya Piṭaka as the legal foundation of practice, recording the rules of discipline (sīla) that the Buddha established for the fourfold assembly of disciples, and in particular for the bhikkhus (monks).
The rains retreat (vassa) is a three-month period each year (generally from the seventh to the tenth month of the lunar calendar), during which monastics gather at a single location for intensive cultivation and examination of practice. It is a fitting time for the practice of the threefold training (sikkhattaya): morality, concentration, and wisdom. The Vassikasāṭika pertains to the soliciting, distribution, and care of the robe (sāṭika) provided to monastics during this important period.
Principal Content
Within the Vinaya Piṭaka, and in particular the Pātimokkha (the code of training rules), this text sets forth clear guidelines on the use and management of cloth garments for the rains retreat. According to the regulations laid down by the Buddha, each bhikkhu is to have five basic articles of clothing (pañcacchadanā): the inner robe (antara-vāsaka), the upper robe (uttara-sāṅga), the double robe (saṅghāṭi), the bathing cloth (udaka-sāṭika), and the rainy-season robe (vassikasāṭika).
The rainy-season robe is not a symbol of luxury, but a genuine practical necessity. It protects the body of the bhikkhu from the harsh climatic conditions of the rainy season, allowing him to sustain his meditation practice without being distracted by discomfort. The text makes clear the conditions under which this robe is to be distributed: only those monastics who are truly in need may receive one; the soliciting of robes must be carried out fairly and transparently; and no one is permitted to monopolize or hoard them for personal gain.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.