Lzh Sarv Bu Pm 2 Np 11Silk Blanket

Explanation of the Silk Sutta (Kosiya)

Background

The Silk Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Nissaggiya Pācittiya section, rules concerning property that bhikkhus must forfeit. This is one of the details of legal discipline that reflects the monastic life of the community of bhikkhus in the Buddha’s time.

According to the Theravāda tradition, these rules were not imposed arbitrarily but arose from specific situations. When bhikkhus acted in ways not in accordance with the spirit of renunciation, the Buddha established prohibitions to protect the purity of the Sangha. The Silk Sutta records one such case concerning silk cloth, a costly and luxurious material that a bhikkhu should not possess or use.

The prohibition on using silk is not because the material is evil in itself, but because it represents preference, attachment to comfort, and the pleasures of the middle class. For one gone forth, this directly contradicts the principle of renouncing worldly sensual pleasures.

Main Content

The Silk Sutta provides that a bhikkhu is not permitted to possess, make, or use clothing made of silk (kosiya). If a bhikkhu receives silk cloth from another person or obtains it for himself, this violates the Nissaggiya Pācittiya rule.

This rule is accompanied by a procedure for handling the matter: if a bhikkhu is found to possess silk, that cloth must be declared "not belonging to him" (anissara, not permitted to keep), and the bhikkhu must give it up or hand it over to the Sangha. For this reason, the penalty is called Nissaggiya Pācittiya, requiring the relinquishment of the offending material entirely.

In the context of the fourth to sixth centuries before the Common Era, when Buddhism was developing strongly, the distinction between bhikkhus, those gone forth, and laypeople through clothing and property became a practical issue. Silk was regarded as a symbol of wealth and of refined sensuality.