Lzh Sarv Bi Pm Pc 68Needle Cases

Sutta on Needle Cases

Sūcighara

Background

This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the rule-code governing the early Buddhist Sangha. The sutta concerns detailed regulations on the use and care of the requisites of bhikkhunīs, especially needle cases and sewing implements.

The setting for the teaching occurred in the context of the Buddha and the Sangha establishing specific rules of life to maintain discipline and avoid disputes and jealousy within the community of practice. Regulations concerning personal property, especially small and valuable items such as needles, were regarded as very important for ensuring the spirit of renouncing material ambition.

Main Content

Needle cases (sūcighara) are mentioned in the context of regulations concerning the personal property of bhikkhunīs. According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, nuns are permitted to possess necessary tools for practice and daily life, but they must observe strict limits. A needle case is one of the permitted items, because needles are necessary tools for sewing monastic robes, an important part of monastic property.

This sutta stipulates that a bhikkhunī may possess a certain number of cases, and that the rules concerning the keeping, use, and exchange of these items must follow the principle of not giving rise to sensual desire or jealousy within the Sangha. If the prescribed number is exceeded, a nun may be considered to have violated the rules concerning property, leading to penalties or self-disclosure according to the rule of self-correction (pāṭidesanīya).

Practical Meaning

The Sūcighara Sutta reflects the Buddha’s profound philosophy of balance between two extremes: excessive deprivation and indulgent luxury. These regulations are not arbitrary control, but guidance so that monastics do not become absorbed in material ambition. By limiting the quantity of possessions, the Buddha teaches that monastics must learn to abandon unnecessary desires for ownership.