Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 136Ending the Robe-Making Season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kathinuddhāra
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Explanation of the Kathinuddhāra Sutra — Ending the Robe-Sewing Season
Background
Kathinuddhāra, the Ending of the Robe-Sewing Season, is a regulation in the Vinaya Piṭaka, especially within the Pātimokkha Sutta of the Theravāda tradition. These are detailed rules concerning the life of the Sangha, directly related to the management of material goods and the time of practice.
The robe-sewing season (Katthinmāsa) is the three-month period after Vassa, the Rains Retreat, when bhikkhus are permitted to concentrate on sewing dyed robes and accumulating robe-cloth, especially the robe (kasāva) for the winter season. For this reason, the rules concerning this season are held in special regard in Buddhism.
The Kathinuddhāra text regulates the conditions and formal procedure for ending the robe-sewing season. This is one of the important administrative rules of the Sangha, showing a balance between the practical needs of life and the intention toward self-restraint and discipline.
Main Content
According to the regulations of the early Vinaya Piṭaka, the robe-sewing season may last for three months after Vassa, that is, from the eleventh month to the first month of the lunar year, or according to particular months appropriate to each geographical region. However, if the sewing work has not been completed or other conditions are fulfilled, the Sangha has the authority to extend it by one or two weeks.
The formal procedure for ending the robe-sewing season (Kathinuddhāra) must be carried out through a meeting of the Sangha (Sanghadisesa). The steps include: (1) giving prior notice to the whole Sangha that the season will be ended, (2) confirming the agreement of all members present, and (3) making the final formal declaration by a trusted monk.
The purpose of this regulation is not constraint, but the establishment of order. Once the robe-sewing season has ended, the bhikkhus no longer have the special privileges connected with materials gathered during this period. This also has spiritual significance: when the season devoted to material work has ended, the Sangha again returns its full attention to meditation practice and the study of the Dharma.
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