Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 133Not Returning Period Cloth to Sangha
Pāli / Sanskrit:Not returning period cloth to Sangha
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Sutta on Not Returning Temporary Cloth to the Sangha
Background
This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, in the Pātimokkha section that prescribes offenses of monks. In the early days of the Buddhist community, the Buddha and his disciples went for alms, dwelling temporarily in forests and mountain caves. The rainy season (vassa) was a period when monks should not travel about, so the Sangha needed to prepare necessary items, especially cloth and clothing, to cope with harsh weather.
This rule was established by the Buddha to protect integrity in the management of the common property of the Sangha. A problem arose when monks received from the community a temporary piece of cloth to use throughout the rainy season, but afterward did not return it by the agreed deadline or forgot this responsibility.
Main Content
According to the regulation in the Pātimokkha, if a monk receives temporary cloth from the Sangha with a commitment to return it within a certain period, usually after the end of the rainy season, but then does not fulfill that commitment, he violates a particular category of rule. This act is regarded as lacking honesty and as failing to respect the trust of the Sangha as well as of the laypeople who gave the offering.
In the context of Theravāda discipline, this text reminds us that the management of property, even something as small as a piece of cloth, reflects the truthfulness of the practitioner. The Buddha especially emphasized the importance of keeping promises and responsibilities, because this affects not only the reputation of the individual monk but also the honor of the entire Sangha in the eyes of the lay community.
The text clearly prescribes the conditions: the deadline for return, usually ten days or the end of the rainy season, the place of return, and the person authorized to verify the return of the cloth. If the monk intentionally or unintentionally fails to comply, he must confess the fault and carry out the appropriate penalties according to the Sangha.
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