Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 132Giving Robes

Cīvaradāna Sutta: Giving Robes

An Explanation from the Traditional Theravāda Vinaya

Background

The Cīvaradāna Sutta (Giving Robes) appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda school, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the basic code of practice for monks and nuns. This is not a Dharma discourse in the Sutta Piṭaka but a customary rule recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, intended to regulate the conduct of renunciants in relation to giving, using, and managing robes (cīvara).

In the Buddha’s time, the distribution of robes was a daily matter for monks and nuns. Robes were not only a bodily necessity but also a symbol of the pure life and of the relinquishment of personal possessions in Buddhist discipline. Therefore, the manner of distributing robes had to follow certain principles in order to avoid craving, jealousy, or unnecessary disputes among monastics.

Main Content

The text prescribes basic principles concerning the distribution of robes in the Sangha. Specifically, robes are common property of the Sangha and do not belong privately to any one individual. Distribution must be fair, transparent, and must not favor or discriminate against any monastic on invalid grounds.

This rule also addresses the case in which someone donates robes to the Sangha. If the donor specifically designates which monastic is to receive them, the rule must be followed according to the donor’s intention. However, if there is no specific designation, distribution must follow the official procedure of the Sangha, with communal witness and collective decision.

The rule also warns against prohibited actions such as using robes for improper purposes, storing too many robes beyond one’s need, or trying to appropriate the robes of another monastic. The purpose of these regulations is to maintain fairness and purity in the Sangha community and prevent unwholesome habits such as greed.