Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Np 1The Robe-Making Season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kathina
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Exposition of the Kathina Discourse (Robe-Giving Season)
Context
Kathina, or the "robe-giving season," is one of the most important regulations in the Theravāda Vinaya tradition. This content appears in the Bhikkhu Pātimokkha, the discipline of the bhikkhus, and is an essential part of the annual life of the Sangha.
According to the Theravāda tradition, each Buddhist year has three seasons: the hot season (vassāna), autumn, and winter. After a disciplined period of practice during the rains, when bhikkhus complete the "rains retreat" (vassa), the lay Buddhist community organizes a robe-offering ceremony for the monastics. This is not merely an act of charity, but a sacred rite recognizing the austere practice of the bhikkhus during the preceding period.
Main Content
Kathina concerns rules on giving and receiving robes. In the Vinaya Pitaka, there are specific rules about how bhikkhus may receive and use robes, especially robes offered during the Kathina season. This season is regarded as a special period when rules concerning robes are intentionally relaxed.
According to the Pātimokkha, bhikkhus are permitted to receive up to three robes (saṅghāti, uttarāsaṅga, antaravāsa) and three other sets of robes. However, during the Kathina season, this rule is adjusted to allow monks to receive more robes and share them with one another in the community. This expresses the principle of concord (sāmaggī) in the Buddhist community.
The Kathina ceremony usually takes place when a lay Buddhist community prepares robes, often new cloth, and then offers them to the Sangha, or to a designated bhikkhu. This bhikkhu serves as an intermediary, receiving the gift and redistributing it to the whole community of monks. This process is carried out with wholesome aspirations and deep reverence.
Practical Meaning
The Kathina season has a profound meaning beyond the giving of robes.
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