Sarv Kd 7Robes

Sutta on Robes (Cīvara Khandhaka)

Background

The Cīvara Khandhaka is a Vinaya section associated with the Sarvāstivādins and later preserved in the Pāli tradition in the form of detailed rules concerning the robes of monks and nuns. This is not an ordinary Dharma discourse, but part of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the basis of spiritual discipline in the early Buddhist community.

The robe is not only clothing, but a symbol of abandoning worldly splendor and committing oneself to the life of the Noble Path. Khandhaka, from “khandha,” meaning topic or matter, refers to collections of rules organized by subject. The section on robes concerns their origin, kinds, preparation, care, and rules related to the property of renunciants.

Recounted in the context of the earliest period of the Sangha, while the Buddha was still alive, these rules were established gradually through specific situations. The aim was to help monks and nuns live a simple and self-restrained life, focused on spiritual practice.

Main Content

This sutta details the rules concerning robes, including the kinds of cloth permitted, appropriate dimensions, methods of stitching, and dyeing. The robe is divided into three main types: uttarāsaṅga, the upper robe; antarvāsaka, the inner robe; and saṅghāṭi, the outer cloak.

According to the principle of fewness of wishes (appicchatā), the robe should have a suitable dignity, neither too luxurious, to avoid attachment, nor so poor as to bring shame upon the Sangha. If a monk owns too many robes, or is offered more when he already has enough, the rule clearly states that he must refuse them or give them to another.

The Vinaya also regulates ownership: robes are among the permitted requisites of monks and nuns. However, not all robes are entirely personal property; the Sangha may hold robes in common, or monks may share them as needed. Stealing another’s robe, selling a donated robe, or trading in robes is completely forbidden.