Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Np 13A New Blanket Should Have Mixed Colors

Exposition of the Dvebhāga Discourse

A New Undergarment Must Have Two Colors

Context

This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Bhannavāra section concerning the distribution of monastic property. Its content concerns rules for managing the common property of the community of monks and nuns, especially materials used by monastics.

Dvebhāga, or Dvebhaggika, means "two parts" or "two colors," indicating a specific legal requirement prescribed by the Buddha to avoid ambitions and discrimination within the Sangha. The historical background is one of disputes over communal property, when some monastics attempted to keep new and attractive garments for themselves, causing disharmony.

Main Content

The discourse prescribes that when a new undergarment (antara-vāsaka) is distributed to the community of monks and nuns, it must be dyed or sewn in two different colors. Specifically, the garment cannot be left in its original gray or pure white color as newly woven cloth, but must have a mixture of colors.

What is the purpose of this rule? It is to avoid improper monopolization and commerce. If a new garment is bright and attractive, some monastics might try to keep it or sell it at a high price. By making the new garment "ordinary," not too attractive, the Buddha removes the motive of greed and profit-seeking. This is a subtle expression of the discipline: not direct prohibition alone, but creating material conditions so that greed does not arise.

This rule also reflects a basic principle in the monastic Vinaya: all community property must be fair, and no one has private ownership. Monastic robes are necessary items, not signs of status or personal wealth.

Practical Meaning

From the perspective of practice, the discourse teaches that rules that seem "minor" carry deep ethical meaning. It is not simply restraining out of fear of greed, but actively cutting off the places where greed may cling.