Lzh Mu Bu Vb Pc 84Needle Cases
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sūcighara
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Needle-Case Sutta (Sūcighara)
Background
The Sūcighara Sutta appears in the Pācittiya section of the Vinaya Piṭaka, where detailed regulations concerning the way of life of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs are recorded. This context belongs to the early period of the Sangha after the Buddha’s nirvana, when the Buddha and the first disciples were still alive. The Vinaya texts were formed to regulate actions that were not violations of the major rules (Pārājika or Saṅghādisesa), but still needed to be watched in order to maintain discipline and ethical purity.
Needle cases (sūcighara or sūcighāra) are small objects made of wood, bone, or other materials, used to contain sewing needles needed for weaving and repairing robes (uttarāsaṅga). In the monastic community living according to the Vinaya, every personal item has a noble meaning and is directly related to the path.
Main Content
The Sūcighara Sutta prescribes that a bhikkhu must not privately own more needle cases than the number permitted by the standards of the Sangha. If this bhikkhu possesses more needle cases than allowed, or if someone gives the bhikkhu an additional needle case and he does not refuse it or dispose of it according to the rule, that is a Pācittiya act, a fault considered lighter than the major violations but still requiring confession (paṭidesanā) before the Sangha or before another bhikkhu.
This rule is not meant to create hardship for monastics, but to ensure that renunciants do not accumulate property and do not fall into greed for gain. Every object in the community must be lawful (sappāya) and must not exceed the true needs of practice. Additional needle cases may be given to bhikkhunīs or placed among the common property of the Sangha (Saṃghabhaṇḍa).
Practical Meaning
The Sūcighara Sutta teaches us the principle of sati-sampajañña, mindfulness and clear comprehension.
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