San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Np 25Taking Back Robe-Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraacchindana
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Exposition of the Cīvaraacchindana Sutta (Taking Back Robe-Cloth)
Background
The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, specifically in the Pātimokkha section, the basic prohibitory rules for the fourfold community of monks and nuns. This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, transmitted to regulate the life of practice and maintain the Sangha community according to the principle of purity.
The word “Cīvaraacchindana” is divided into two parts: “cīvara” (robe-cloth, robe) and “acchindana” (cutting, separating, or taking back). This sutta deals with matters related to the use, management, and disputes concerning robe-cloth in the Sangha community, one of the communal properties of the monastery.
Robe-cloth is not only a practical item but also carries deep symbolic meaning. In the Buddha-Dharma, the robe of a renunciant represents the abandonment of worldly life and commitment to the Dharma. Thus disputes or conflicts related to robe-cloth may reflect impure mental conduct, such as greed, jealousy, or contention.
Main Content
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, regulations concerning robe-cloth are clearly laid down in order to avoid disputes in the community of practice. The Cīvaraacchindana Sutta addresses cases in which a monk or nun has their robe-cloth cut, separated, or taken back for specific reasons.
The situations considered include a monk or nun being subject to abuse of authority whereby another seizes their robe-cloth, or disputes over ownership when robe-cloth has been given to an individual but the community later wishes to take it back. The law must clearly determine whether that robe-cloth is personal property (āyattacitta) or communal property of the community (sāmaggiyā cīvara).
The sutta emphasizes that decisions about robe-cloth must be made fairly, through a full quorum of the Sangha, not by an individual decision. In addition, the sutta also indicates that if there is abuse, the monk or nun must undergo prescribed penalties such as probation (parivāsa) or mānatta, a restricted mode of living.
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