San Lo Bi Pn 23Silk
Pāli / Sanskrit:kauśeya-pratisaṁyuktaṁ
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
SILK DISCOURSE - SAN LO BI PARISUDDHI 23
Background
The Silk discourse belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the San Lo Bi Pn section, a detailed list where regulations related to property, requisites, and matters to be observed within the community of monks and nuns are recorded. The Theravāda tradition of the Pāli Canon regards the Vinaya Piṭaka as the foundation of the holy life, defining ethical boundaries so that monks and nuns may abide in concentration and thereby develop wisdom.
This discourse arose from specific events in the Sangha, when the Buddha saw problems related to the use and possession of valuable materials such as silk. Silk was considered a high-quality material, a luxury article that monastics should not accept or use, because it conflicted with the principles of diligence and the renunciation of material desire.
Main Content
The San Lo Bi Pn 23 discourse on Silk (kauśeya) states that monks and nuns should not receive, possess, or wear garments made of pure silk. The Buddha regarded silk as an “unsuitable material” (akkhantiyabhūmi) for the holy life of renunciation, because it represents greed and delight in fine material things, matters that one who has gone forth should abandon.
The discourse specifies that if a monastic receives silk from others, asks for it, or allows others to give it, this is an offense. However, there are particular exceptions based on reasons of health or emergency, but they must be approved by the Sangha. In addition, the discourse also mentions mixed fabrics, silk mixed with cotton or other fibers, with different regulations, since they are not entirely “pure silk.”
This rule reflects the basic spirit of the Vinaya: limiting whatever may cause a monastic’s mind to become attached or infatuated with material things, thereby obstructing diligence in practice.
Practical Meaning
From the legal standpoint of the Vinaya, the Silk discourse teaches practitioners of virtue (sīla) that discipline is not a set of mechanical rules, but a means to protect the mind.
🌏 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.