Mpt Np 25Taking Back Robe-Cloth

Cīvaraacchindana Sutra: Taking Back a Kāṣāya Robe

Background

This text belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the code of practice for bhikkhunīs. Recorded in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka is the governing discipline that regulates the life of practice of the Sangha, ensuring harmony, discipline, and spiritual orientation.

Cīvaraacchindana (cīvara = kāṣāya robe; acchindana = taking back, reclaiming) concerns a legal issue in the Sangha when a bhikkhunī acts in a way that causes dispute over communal property, specifically the kāṣāya robe, the sacred symbol of a monastic. This is not merely a question of material ownership, but concerns karma, trust, and the way monastics handle conflicts in the community.

Main Content

In the Vinaya Piṭaka, when a bhikkhunī receives a kāṣāya robe from the Sangha or from an individual, it becomes an important part of the ascetic life. If that bhikkhunī later demands to take back a kāṣāya robe, for whatever reason, the matter must be resolved according to specific principles of the Vinaya.

The content of this text instructs that reclaiming a kāṣāya robe must be done fairly and through official procedure. If a bhikkhunī has no legitimate reason, taking back or trying to take back another person’s kāṣāya robe is a wrongful act, violating the principle of non-dispute over property (vihārānuvattanā, compliance with rules of communal living). However, if there is evidence or a legitimate reason, such as the robe having been taken away or a dispute over ownership, the Sangha may intervene to resolve the matter fairly.

This text also reflects a broader principle in the Vinaya Piṭaka: property given to monastics is not for greedy private possession, but for supporting the life of practice. Therefore, all disputes over property must be resolved through the Sangha, not through complaint or individual action.