Pgd Pm Bf13 Np 6Asking an Unrelated Person for Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Aññātakaviññatti
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The Sutta on Asking for Robes from an Unrelated Person
Background
This sutta is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Pātimokkha rules of the bhikkhunīs, and plays an extremely important role in managing the communal life of Buddhist practitioners. This is not a discourse of preaching, but a rule of conduct, reflecting the spirit with which the Buddha built the Sangha, the monastic community, upon clear ethical foundations.
In the Buddha’s time, bhikkhunīs depended on laypeople’s offerings for their clothing needs. However, a question arose: were female monastics permitted to ask for robes from male laypeople whom they did not know well? This question was directly connected to the purity of the orientation of practice and the relationship between the Sangha and the lay community.
This sutta records a regulation, a Nissaggiya Pācittiya, an offense requiring forfeiture together with confession, that the Buddha established in order to maintain the pure spirit of practice and avoid misunderstandings and situations that could harm the honor of the Sangha.
Main Content
The rule is stated clearly: a bhikkhunī is not permitted to ask for clothing from a male layperson with whom she has no familiar relationship (aññātaka, not a relative or someone well known). If a bhikkhunī violates this rule, she must personally hand back the robe she obtained and confess the offense before the Sangha, then continue to observe the other rules of discipline.
The reason for this regulation is very profound. First, it protects the Sangha from suspicion in the community. When female monastics ask for robes from men without a clear relationship, gossip or misunderstanding may arise about their true motive. Second, this rule helps bhikkhunīs focus on genuine practice rather than seeking to exploit unclear relationships to satisfy personal needs.
In particular, the regulation does not absolutely prohibit asking for robes, but only requires that the relationship be clearly established. If the person is well known or has a family connection, asking for robes is entirely acceptable.
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