Lzh Sarv Bu Vb Np 3Out-of-Season Robe Cloth

Sutta on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth (Akālacīvara)

Background

The Sutta on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth (Akālacīvara) is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Bhikkhunī Vibhaṅga, belonging to the Theravāda tradition of the Pāli Canon. The background of the text concerns the management of the material property of bhikkhus, especially robe cloth (cīvara) used in monastic life.

The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection containing the complete rules for managing the religious community established by the Buddha Gotama. These rules are recorded as lessons arising from specific occasions, intended to educate bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs in ethics, discipline, and proper living. These regulations were not established because they are absolute in themselves, but in order to promote spiritual practice and maintain harmony in the Sangha community.

Main Content

The Sutta on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth concerns regulations related to possessing and using cloth for making robes outside the appointed period in the calendar. In the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, bhikkhus are provided with the three official robes, and any addition or change must follow certain rules.

Specifically, this text regulates the situation in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī receives cloth for making a robe outside the prescribed season (akāla). It explains how such “out-of-season” cloth should be handled so as not to violate principles concerning the common property of the Sangha or personal property.

According to the rule, during each period of monastic practice (vassa), bhikkhus should receive necessary requisites only at specified times. Receiving cloth outside these times is considered inconsistent with the humble life. Nevertheless, this text provides practical guidance for dealing with situations in which receiving out-of-season cloth is unavoidable, for example when cloth is offered by people who cannot wait until the proper season.