San Sarv Bu Pm Finot Pc 67Hiding Robes

Discourse on Hiding Robes

Background

The Discourse on Hiding Robes (Cīvaraapanidhāna) is part of the Vinaya Piṭaka in the Theravāda tradition of the Buddha-Dharma. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the legislative collection of Theravāda Buddhism, recording the rules of life for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, compiled on the basis of historical events that occurred in the monastic community during the Buddha's lifetime.

This discourse arises from a specific situation: a bhikkhu or group of bhikkhus hid or concealed robes (cīvara). Robes in the Buddhist tradition are not a trivial matter; they are the symbol of monastic life and one of the basic requisites that the Buddha allowed his renunciant disciples to possess. The act of hiding robes may be warned against as a form of lack of honesty, lack of transparency in the monastic community, or as connected with issues of property and personal honor.

This context reflects the teaching method of the Buddha Śākyamuni: when he discovered conduct that could harm the harmony and purity of the Sangha, he would establish new disciplinary rules or clearly explain principles to prevent similar cases.

Main Content

According to the regulations in the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka, the act of hiding robes is regarded as wrongful conduct in the life of practice. If a bhikkhu intends to conceal or hide his robes, whether out of fear of loss, greed and a wish to keep them for himself, or any other reason, this goes against the principle of honesty (paññatti) and the practice of noble simplicity, that is, a life that does not conceal its true purpose before the community.

This discourse emphasizes that bhikkhus should manage robes properly: knowing the quantity, the condition of storage, and following the rules for use.