Xct Mu Bi Pm Pc 52Hiding Robes

The Discourse on Hiding Robes (Cīvaraapanidhāna)

Interpretation from the Traditional Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka

Context

The Discourse on Hiding Robes (Cīvaraapanidhāna) belongs to the Bhikkhunī Vinaya section in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. The content revolves around the management and use of material property in the monastic community, especially robes (cīvara) - the prescribed monastic garments that the Buddha established for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs.

This event arose when some bhikkhunīs attempted to conceal or store away their robes, either from fear of loss or from a desire to keep the best robes for themselves. This violated the spirit of sharing common property according to the principle of the Sangha, the monastic community. The Buddha saw that this behavior was contrary to the teaching on relinquishing craving (taṇhā) and caused division in the community.

Main Content

In this discourse, the Buddha gave clear regulations on how robes should be managed in the Sangha. Robes are not personal property but communal property allocated according to the needs of practice. Hiding robes is regarded as an act marked by greed, reflecting a mind not yet freed from craving (taṇhā), the cause of suffering.

The Buddha emphasized that if a bhikkhunī wished to hide a robe, this not only violated the training rule (Pātimokkha) but also the Dhamma-Vinaya concerning honesty and transparency in the community. Rather, bhikkhunīs should openly declare the property assigned to them and be ready to share it with others who have more practical need.

The discourse stipulates that these robes should be stored in communal areas or managed by persons trusted by the Sangha, in order to avoid corruption or misuse. Any bhikkhunī who deliberately hides robes so as not to share them must receive censure from the community.