San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Pc 24Giving Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaradāna
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Sutta on Giving Robes (Cīvaradāna)
Background
The Sutta on Giving Robes (Cīvaradāna) belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, where the life of practice of monks and nuns is regulated in detail. The Vinaya Piṭaka is not only a set of formal rules, but also a concrete expression of the spirit of discipline and compassion in Theravāda Buddhism.
In the historical context, after the Buddha established the Sangha, practical matters related to monastic life arose continuously. Providing robes was one of the basic needs of bhikkhus. At first, the Buddha allowed his disciples freedom in choosing clothing. However, when disputes or unfairness in distribution appeared, the Buddha issued rules for harmonization. The Cīvaradāna Sutta reflects these specific situations and guides fair, transparent handling.
Main Content
The specific content of this sutta in the Vinaya Piṭaka concerns the principles for distributing robes to members of the Sangha. According to the Theravāda tradition, robes are one of the basic requisites: clothing, food, lodging, and medicine. Providing robes is not a trivial matter, but directly reflects the principles of fairness and respect in the community of practice.
The regulations in this sutta often include: how to decide who receives robes, criteria for determining the appropriateness of this property, and how to avoid favoritism or harassment. The Buddha emphasized that the distribution process must be carried out clearly, openly, and with the consent of the community, often through formal meetings (uposatha) or assemblies of the Sangha.
These regulations also reflect respect for the community’s property. Robes are regarded as common property of the Sangha, not of individuals, and therefore their use and distribution must follow the principle of benefit for all members. This trains bhikkhus in non-greed (alobha) and fairness in communal life.
Practical Meaning
From the standpoint of practice, the Sutta on Giving Robes is guidance on developing right concentration (sammā-samādhi) through fairness.
🌏 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.