Upp Np 17Getting a Nun to Wash Wool
Pāli / Sanskrit:Eḷakalomadhovāpana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Exposition of the Eḷakalomadhovāpana Sutta (Asking a Bhikkhunī to Wash Wool)
Context
This discourse is recorded in the Ubhato Nepitika, rules concerning both monks and nuns, within the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. It is a passage in the Pātimokkha and the detailed disciplinary rules of the Sangha.
The background arises from a specific event in early Buddhism. Bhikkhunīs often had to wash their own wool-lined undergarments (eḷakalomadhova), a type of garment made from basic material with a wool lining for warmth. This act was considered worldly work, unsuitable to the status of monastics. This discourse records a rule to prevent bhikkhunīs from asking others, especially those not gone forth, to wash their clothing for them, in order to preserve the purity and self-reliance of the religious community.
Main Content
The principal rule of the discourse concerns the fact that a bhikkhunī should not ask another bhikkhunī to wash this type of garment. If a bhikkhunī deliberately and repeatedly makes such a request, she commits a Pācittiya or Saṅghādisesa offense, disciplinary rules of relatively serious degree.
The reason for this rule is to encourage self-mastery and avoid unnecessary relationships of dependence among members of the Sangha. Each bhikkhunī is expected to take responsibility for her own daily tasks, thereby developing independence and self-awareness. In addition, this rule is meant to avoid petty disputes that might arise in the community.
The discourse records that the Buddha established this rule after being informed of specific incidents. This shows that the Vinaya Piṭaka is not a set of abstract commands, but practical guidance arising from real situations encountered by the Sangha.
Practical Meaning
Although this discourse relates especially to the life of bhikkhunīs in the Buddha’s time, its spirit has timeless value.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.