Pgd Pm Bf13 Np 8Requesting Fine Robes From a Robe Fund
Pāli / Sanskrit:Upakkhata
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Upakkhata Sutta: Requesting Fine Robes From a Robe Fund
Background
This text belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka of the Pali Canon, specifically within the Bhikkhuni Patimokkha. These are detailed regulations concerning communal discipline for bhikkhunis in the early Buddhist Sangha. The sutta "Upakkhata" (a Pali term meaning "provided" or "set aside") concerns the management of communal property, specifically robe funds intended for the Sangha.
In the time of the Buddha, faithful householders often offered robes (civara), that is, monastic garments, to support bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. To avoid disputes and ensure fairness, the Buddha established clear rules for how such funds were to be managed. The Upakkhata Sutta addresses the situation in which a bhikkhuni wishes to request a fine robe from a shared robe fund.
Main Content
The specific content of this sutta has not been fully translated in the descriptive information provided. However, according to the context of the early Vinaya Pitaka, the Upakkhata Sutta regulates the authority and procedure for requesting a robe from a common fund. The main principles include:
First, requests for robes from a communal fund must be made according to proper procedure and through the confirmation of the Sangha; one may not take or reserve them for oneself arbitrarily. This regulation reflects the principle of "non-private ownership" (nissaya — dependence) in renunciant practice.
Second, bhikkhunis may not request fine robes beyond reasonable need merely because they desire superior articles. The sutta teaches that robes are only for protection from cold, covering the body, and honoring moral propriety, not for satisfying pleasure or increasing the accumulation of personal possessions. This is a practice opposed to greed (lobha) in worldly life.
Third, the sutta emphasizes that requesting robes must be transparent and announced to the Sangha.
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