San Mu Bu Pm GBM 3 Pc 89Rainy-Season Robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vassikasāṭikā
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EXPLANATION OF THE VASSIKASĀṬIKĀ SUTTA (The Sutta on Summer Rain Robes)
Background
The Vassikasāṭikā sutta is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, in the Mahāvagga, the great section of the Pali Canon. This is one of the important regulations concerning monastic clothing in the Theravada school. The original Pali title “Vassikasāṭikā” means “a cloth robe used in the rainy season” (vassa = rainy season, sāṭikā = cloth or cloth for making a robe).
Historically, the rainy season in India, approximately July to October in the solar calendar, was the period when all monastics had to gather in one place for communal practice (vassa vāsa). During this time, difficulty in travel made regulations concerning clothing necessary. This sutta records the Buddha’s guidance concerning the use of summer rain cloths, in order to ensure uniformity, suitability, and practicality in the common life of the bhikkhus.
Main Content
The Vassikasāṭikā sutta states that during the rainy season, bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs need to have appropriate cloth robes to respond to damp weather. This is not luxury, but a practical condition for protecting health and maintaining the capacity for practice.
According to the content of the Vinaya Pitaka, monastics are permitted to possess rain robes without violating the principle of minimal possession. However, these robes must be reasonably measured: not so large as to become objects of hoarding, nor so small as to be useless. The method of sewing the robe and the choice of cloth also have certain standards intended to preserve the simple spirit of the Sangha.
The sutta also addresses specific situations: if a bhikkhu does not have a summer rain robe and conditions permit, he may accept support from laypeople. But the important point is to follow the regulation concerning time of use — the rain robe is to be used only during the rainy season, and should not be kept for a long time when unnecessary.
Practical Meaning
A bhikkhu is not to reject reasonable bodily needs, but to reject attachment to material things.
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