San Mg Bu Pm Np 24Taking Back Robe-Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraacchindana
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
EXPLANATION OF THE SCRIPTURE: CĨ VĀ AND THE ACT OF TAKING BACK ROBE-CLOTH (Cīvaraacchindana)
Background
The Cīvaraacchindana scripture is found in the section on offenses requiring forfeiture (Nissaggiya Pācittiya) of the Vinaya Piṭaka. These are regulations concerning offenses for which a renunciant must restore or forfeit the item and confess. According to the Theravāda tradition, these regulations developed from specific situations that occurred within the community of monks and nuns of the Buddha. In the Buddha’s time, when bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs did not yet have a clear system for managing property, disputes and discord arose around the use of the robe (cīvara), one of the three indispensable requisites in the life of one gone forth.
Cīvaraacchindana is translated as “the act of taking back or damaging a robe,” an issue that seems small but reflects profound principles concerning respect for another person’s property, purity of mind, and the handling of disputes within the monastic community.
Main Content
This scripture deals with the situation in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has an improper intention to take back a robe from another renunciant, or deliberately damages another person’s robe. This act is considered a Nissaggiya Pācittiya offense, an offense for which the transgressor must restore or forfeit the item and openly confess before the community.
First, the act of taking back a robe is not always prohibited. If the robe truly belongs to oneself, or if permission has been given by the owner, or if permission has been given by appropriate persons, such as appointed teachers, there is no offense. However, if the act is carried out improperly, that is, with a mind of greed, anger, or in order to humiliate another person, then it is an offense. What is important here is not the external action alone, but the intention behind that action (cetanā).
For male or female renunciants who violate this rule, there must be sincere confession before a bhikkhu, or, in the case of a bhikkhunī, possibly before the two Sanghas. The robe must be returned or repaired if it has been damaged.
🌏 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.