Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Np 25Taking Back Robe-Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraacchindana
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The Discourse on Taking Back a Kāṣāya Robe
Background
In the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravada tradition, regulations concerning the property and material requisites of monks and nuns are examined very carefully. The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta (Taking Back a Kāṣāya Robe) belongs to the Nissaggiya Pācittiya section, rules concerning offenses that require the relinquishment of property for correction. These regulations are found in the Pātimokkha, the basic code of the Buddhist Sangha.
The background from which this text arose concerns the management of communal and personal property within the Sangha. The Buddha clearly established principles regarding ownership of the kāṣāya robe, the sacred garment of monastics, in order to prevent greed, contention, and violations of the spirit of renunciation. In the early period, some monks sometimes tried to take back kāṣāya robes they had formerly owned or had given to others, and this caused friction in the Sangha.
Main Content
The text states that if a bhikkhu has given a kāṣāya robe to someone else, or has relinquished ownership of a robe, and later wishes to take it back without the recipient’s consent, this action is considered a Nissaggiya Pācittiya offense.
The key point of this rule is this: once a kāṣāya robe has been formally given or transferred to someone, the giver is not permitted to take it back by stealth or by force. If he wishes to take it back, he must clearly inform the recipient of his intention. If he still tries to take it back when the other person does not agree, this conduct counts as an offense and requires the corrective act (nissagga, forfeiture).
This regulation is not only a legal matter within the Sangha, but also reflects a deep ethical principle: once one has given something away, the giver should not fix the mind upon material things, nor cultivate the mind of "wanting to take it back" (parittaja), for this is contrary to the spirit of renunciation.
Practical Meaning
The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta teaches us lessons about the impermanent and not-self nature of material things.
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