San Lo Bu Pm Np 7Accepting Too Many Robes

Explanation of the Tatuttari Sutra (Accepting Too Many Robes)

Background

The Tatuttari sutra is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka, belonging to the original Pāli Canon. This sutra is found in the Parivāra section (Appendix to the Discipline), where regulations and specific situations in the life of study and practice of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs are recorded.

The Vinaya Piṭaka was completed by the Buddha to protect the Sangha — the renunciant community — from greed, rule-breaking, and imbalance in practice. Every rule has a historical background: specific events that occurred, the person who violated the discipline, and the way the Buddha gradually formed the rule.

The Tatuttari sutra (tatuttari = exceeding what is necessary) concerns a bhikkhu accepting robes beyond the prescribed amount. This is a practical matter, reflecting disputes over possession of property within the monastic community.

Main Content

In the Buddhist Sangha, each bhikkhu is permitted to own a certain number of robes — usually the three main robes (tikhanda civarā), along with a few reserves depending on climate and actual need. This regulation is not meant to restrict, but to protect the spirit from greed and endless desire.

This sutra records a situation in which a bhikkhu, taking advantage of the occasion when people were providing robes, accepted a quantity beyond the prescribed limit. This action created problems: it disturbed other bhikkhus because of jealousy or concern about fairness; it caused difficulties in storage and washing; and most importantly, it reflected a mind of greed — a way of thinking that one who practices must abandon.

When the Buddha learned of this, he established a clear rule concerning the number of robes a bhikkhu was permitted to keep. Exceeding this amount is a minor violation in the Vinaya system, called dukkaṭa (a bad action). This is not a grave offense like violating the five basic precepts, but it is regarded as an ethical point that must be corrected.