San Lo Bu Pm Np 28Haste-Cloth

EXPLANATION OF THE ACCEKACĪVARA RULE (HASTE-CLOTH)

Background

Accekacīvara belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Pāli Tipiṭaka, specifically the Saṅghādisesa Pācittiya section, the group of Nissaggiya Pācittiya training rules, offenses requiring the relinquishment of the offending item and confession before the Sangha. This twenty-eighth rule was established by the Buddha in the context of managing the robes of the Sangha, a fundamental matter in Theravāda Buddhist monastic life.

In the Buddha’s time, bhikkhus were permitted to possess three robes (ticīvara): the outer robe (saṅghāṭi), the upper robe (uttarāsaṅga), and the lower robe (antaravāsaka). However, sometimes special circumstances arose, such as robes being lost, damaged during the rains, or other emergencies. To meet these legitimate needs without creating opportunities for greedy accumulation, the Buddha established this rule with clear conditions.

The term "acceka" means "urgent, special, out of the ordinary," and "cīvara" means robe. This training rule expresses the wise balance between meeting essential needs and maintaining the discipline of fewness of wishes and contentment.

Main Content

The specific content of the Accekacīvara rule states: when a bhikkhu’s robe has been stolen or damaged during the rains retreat (Vassa), the bhikkhu is permitted to receive a replacement robe from donors. This is the "haste-cloth" (accekacīvara), established specifically to meet unexpected situations.

However, the discipline sets a strict limitation: if there is no such emergency circumstance and a bhikkhu nevertheless asks for and receives additional robes, or keeps a haste-cloth beyond the permitted period without relinquishing it to the Sangha, he commits a Nissaggiya Pācittiya offense. This means that the bhikkhu must relinquish that robe before the Sangha and perform confession according to the prescribed rite.

The permitted period for keeping haste-cloth is usually related to the end of the rains retreat or the occasion of Kathina, the robe-offering ceremony after the retreat. If this period is exceeded without performing the procedure of relinquishing the robe to the Sangha and then receiving it back if necessary, the bhikkhu violates the discipline.

This rule is also explained in the commentaries (Aṭṭhakathā) with many specific situations, helping elders and bhikkhus understand how to apply it in actual monastic life.

Practical Meaning

The Accekacīvara rule expresses the spirit of fewness of wishes and contentment (appiccha-santuṭṭhi), being satisfied with little, a fundamental basis of the monastic way of life. Although the Buddha compassionately allowed additional robes in emergency circumstances, he still set clear limits to prevent greed and unnecessary accumulation.

In Theravāda Buddhist monasteries, the management of robes is regarded as a means of practicing acceptance, relinquishment, and living according to conditions. Robes are not personal property in the worldly sense, but minimal essential requisites for covering the body, avoiding cold and heat, and maintaining deportment.