Lzh Mu Bu Vb Np 14A New Blanket Should be Kept for Six Years
Pāli / Sanskrit:Chabbassa
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AN EXPLANATION OF THE CHABBASSA SUTTA
A New Cloak Must Be Kept for Six Years
Background
The Chabbassa Sutta (Pali: chabbassa = six years) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Nissaggiya Pācittiya section (rules requiring forfeiture and confession). These are detailed regulations concerning the life of celibate conduct and the management of property for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis in the Sangha.
The Vinaya Piṭaka was compiled on the basis of specific events that occurred in the early monastic community under the Buddha. Each rule arose from a real situation, reflecting the need for discipline and balance between spiritual practice and material management. The Chabbassa Sutta is one of the regulations concerning the personal property of bhikkhus, especially things regarded as “personal requisites” (sārīrika-paricchedaka dhanāni).
Main Content
The Chabbassa Sutta stipulates that a cloak (cīvara) or new cloth given to a bhikkhu must be kept for a minimum period of six years. This rule is not an isolated requirement, but part of the system of standards concerning how communal property is used and preserved.
Specifically, when a member of the Sangha receives a new cloak from the community or from a meritorious donor, he has the responsibility to use it carefully and make full use of its value. Keeping it for six years is not meant as hoarding or preservation in the worldly sense, but as an application of the principle of the “Middle Way” (Majjhima Magga): no waste, no abuse. This period allows the bhikkhu to use the cloak for the needs of practice, Dharma propagation, and maintaining a life of celibate conduct without anxiety over constant replacement.
This regulation also reflects respect for those who provide requisites to the Sangha. By preserving and properly using the requisites that have been offered, a bhikkhu expresses gratitude (kataññutā) and respect (gopettā kataññu), important virtuous qualities in Buddhism.
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