Lzh Mu Bu Vb Np 25Taking Back Robe-Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraacchindana
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Explanation of the Cīvaraacchindana Sutta (On Taking Back Robe-Cloth)
Background
The section on nuns’ recitation in the Vinaya Piṭaka records detailed regulations for the lives of bhikkhunīs under the guidance of the Buddha Gotama. The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha and concerns a practical issue related to communal property, specifically robe-cloth (cīvara) in the community of monks and nuns.
According to the Theravāda tradition, the distribution and management of robe-cloth is one of the important subjects of the Vinaya Piṭaka, reflecting the principle of simple living and not straying into materialism. However, it also addresses practical disputes that may arise in the community of women monastics when situations concerning ownership or benefit occur.
Main Content
The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta clearly regulates the case in which a nun may take back robe-cloth that she herself has prepared or contributed to the community under specific conditions. In particular, the sutta determines that if a nun gives her robe-cloth for the community’s use and later wishes to take it back, legal provisions govern the process.
The sutta teaches that in the Vinaya of Buddhism, property already given to the collective cannot always be reclaimed at will. This is a lesson in compassion, relinquishment (vossagga), and understanding the boundary between individual rights and the common good. These regulations aim to avoid disputes, jealousy, and other negative consequences in the community.
The sutta also reflects a core principle: monastics, upon entering the Noble Eightfold Path, have resolved to abandon the fetters of craving (taṇhā) and the notions of “mine” and “for me.” Openness and transparency in the management of communal property are part of the practice of morality (sīla) and wisdom (paññā).
Practical Meaning
For those practicing the original Buddha-Dharma today, the Cīvaraacchindana Sutta carries profound lessons.
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