Xct Mu Bi Pm Np 21Wearing 5 Robes Every Fortnight
Pāli / Sanskrit:Wearing 5 robes every fortnight
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Explanation: The Sutta on Wearing Five Robes Every Fortnight
Background
This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Pitaka of the Theravāda Pāli Canon, within the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha or the discipline for bhikkhunīs. These are detailed regulations concerning the lives of monks and nuns, especially the management of property and humble conduct in the Sangha.
During the Buddha’s lifetime, bhikkhunīs tended to store robes beyond their needs or to wear robes too ostentatiously. This was contrary to the spirit of going forth, leaving behind possession and practicing the morality of humility (appamāda). Therefore the Buddha defined clearly that within a fortnightly cycle (Uposatha), bhikkhunīs were permitted to hold and wear only five robes (pañca cīvara).
This rule is not meant to restrict monks and nuns, but is a means of practice for controlling desire, training the mind not to be attached to material things, and maintaining purity in the Sangha.
Main Content
According to the Vinaya Pitaka, the five robes (pañca cīvara) usually consist of: the lower robe (antara-vāsaka), the upper robe (uttara-sanga), the outer robe (saṅghāṭi), a bathing cloth (pabbaja cīvara), and one spare robe. Or this may be understood according to local context, but the general principle is that the number of robes is limited within a fortnightly period.
Every fortnight, on the Uposatha day (the day for reciting the Pātimokkha), a bhikkhunī must carefully count the robes she owns. If they exceed five, she must seek the Sangha’s acknowledgement or place them aside (ṭhapanīya), that is, remove the surplus robes from personal ownership. This does not mean absolute abandonment, but a temporary recognition of sharing within the Sangha, for the practice of non-attachment.
This rule applies to all bhikkhunīs, without distinction of age or seniority in ordination. It expresses the equality and common spirit of the Sangha: all live under the same discipline, and no one is favored in regard to possessions.
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