Lzh Sarv Bi Vb Np 2Staying Apart From Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Udosita
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UDOSITA SUTRA: INTERPRETATION ON BEING SEPARATED FROM THE ROBE
Background
The Udosita Sutra (Udosita Pācittiya) belongs to the Vinaya of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, specifically within Pācittiya, the code concerning offenses that require confession. Vinaya texts are not theoretical lectures, but practical rules arising from specific events in the community of monks and nuns of the Buddha.
The word "Udosita" means "separated, away from" (udo = separated; sita = robe). This sutra concerns rules for handling a monk's robe, especially leaving a robe elsewhere and not carrying it along. In the early tradition, damage to or loss of monastic property was carefully considered because it affected the life of practice and the order of the religious community. These regulations arose when there was a specific incident, such as a monk forgetting his robe at another monastery or in a shared dwelling, leading to complicated situations involving ownership, responsibility, and care.
Main Content
The Udosita Sutra clearly establishes when a monk commits a pācittiya offense (penance, an offense requiring confession before the assembly) in relation to being separated from a robe or leaving a robe in a distant place instead of carrying it. This rule is not about a robe being lost or stolen, but about carelessness or failure to look after personal property, conduct regarded as a lack of heedfulness (appamāda).
Specifically, the sutra identifies the necessary conditions for the act to become an offense: the monk must clearly know that it is his robe, must intentionally leave it elsewhere, and must be aware of this but fail to manage it actively. The sutra also distinguishes between accidents (such as wind blowing away a robe) and intentionally careless actions. This rule reflects the philosophy of Buddhist law: an offense does not arise merely from the result of an action, but from the mind and intention (cetanā) of the one acting.
Thus, the Udosita Sutra is not concerned with strictness about property, but is a lesson in carefulness (appamāda), a key value in Buddhism.
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