San Lo Bi Vb Pc 73Antaravāsa

Antaravāsa Sutta - Exposition of Early Buddha-Dharma

Background

The Antaravāsa Sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically within the Suttavibhaṅga of the Parivāra, the ancillary section. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the collection of disciplinary regulations (Vinaya) for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs living in the Sangha.

The word “Antaravāsa” is translated as “outer clothing” or “middle covering robe,” referring to a kind of robe used in the Sangha community. This sutta records detailed regulations on the use, making, and maintenance of this garment. In the context of Theravāda Buddhist monasticism, the rules concerning clothing are not only matters of hygiene or custom, but are also related to discipline, self-regulation, and being permeated by the teaching.

The regulations concerning clothing in the Vinaya arose from specific situations encountered by the Buddha or reported to him. Each rule (sutta) in the Parivāra usually includes an illustrative story and a corresponding offense, helping disciples understand the spirit of practice behind each regulation.

Main Content

The Antaravāsa Sutta regulates details concerning the intermediate robe used by those gone forth. The specific content of this sutta has not yet been fully translated, but according to the general context of the Vinaya, it may relate to matters such as the standard size of the robe, the proper way to sew it, situations in which wearing it is permitted or prohibited, and cases for handling violations of the rule.

In the Theravāda tradition, bhikkhus are prescribed three principal robes: the lower robe, the upper robe (uttarāsaṅga), and the outer robe (saṅghāṭī). Antaravāsa may be an additional robe or a special name for a middle covering robe among these robes.