San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Np 1The Robe-Making Season
Pāli / Sanskrit:Kathina
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Kathina Sutta: The Season of Offering Robes
Background
Kathina is a traditional ceremony in the Vinaya Piṭaka, recorded in detail in the regulations concerning the life of the Sangha. This ceremony is performed at the end of the rains retreat (Vassa), about three months after the bhikkhus complete the long rainy-season period of practice, from the seventh to the tenth lunar month.
Kathina means "hard" or "difficult," referring to the wooden frame used to stretch cloth for sewing robes. The Kathina robe-offering ceremony originated from a historical event: bhikkhus often had torn robes because of the damp weather during the rainy season, so the Buddha permitted faithful laypeople to offer new robes to the Sangha after the rains retreat had ended. From then on, this timely custom was recorded in the Vinaya as an important ritual form.
Main Content
The Kathina Sutta regulates in detail the process of offering robes and the conditions that must be fulfilled. First, the robe must be offered to a Sangha after the rains retreat has officially ended. Second, the witnessing bhikkhus must be present in the minimum required number, usually five, and they must agree unanimously on receiving the robe. Third, the robe must be "spread" (atthara) upon the Kathina, the special wooden frame, and the sewing must be completed within the same day, symbolizing unity and common effort.
When the Kathina is completed, special benefits arise: bhikkhus are not limited in their possession of robes, instead of the usual maximum of five; they have additional time to remain in the area (Kathina-vassika, one who stays to maintain the Kathina); and they receive certain rights in the life of the Sangha. Moreover, the laypeople who participate in offering the robe are credited with great puñña, merit.
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, Kathina is an occasion for the Sangha and laypeople to renew their relationship of mutual support, expressing affection and instruction in giving (dāna). Each act of sewing the robe, each time the cloth is stretched upon the frame, is carried out with mindfulness (sati) and concentration (samādhi), transforming manual work into an act of meditation.
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