Xct Mu Bi Sk 92Not Teach One With Robes Around Neck
Pāli / Sanskrit:Not teach one with robes around neck.
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Discourse on Not Teaching One Wearing a Robe Around the Neck
Context
This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, one of the three main divisions of the Pāli Canon, the basic monastic discipline for all who go forth according to Buddhism. The Vinaya Pitaka does not merely list rules of conduct, but also recounts specific situations that led the Buddha to establish corrective admonitions. This discourse was taught by the Buddha when a bhikkhunī or bhikkhu wore a robe improperly, exposing what should not be exposed, causing a loss of suitable conditions and means for practice.
In the early community of monks and nuns in Buddhism, proper dress was not only a matter of style but an expression of disciplined practice (sīla). Those who had gone forth had abandoned bodily adornment in order to pursue inner liberation. Therefore, the Buddha clearly determined that monks and nuns eccentric in their manner of wearing robes could disturb the minds of others and obstruct diligent practice.
Main Content
“One should not instruct a person wearing a robe around the neck” means that one should not teach or reveal the Dharma to bhikkhus or nuns wearing the robe improperly, specifically wrapped around the neck in a splendid or unusual way. This is a practical restriction in the Vinaya, intended to maintain diligence and the declaration of simplicity among those gone forth.
This principle reflects the Buddha’s deep teachings on not arousing craving and on contemplating the ordinarily impure nature of the human body. When a monk or nun wears the robe in a suggestive or excessively decorative manner, this contradicts the goal of celibate and pure practice. This is also why bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs must wear the three robes (tricīvara) according to very specific instructions: the upper robe (uttarāsaṅga), the outer robe (saṅghāṭi), and the lower robe (antaravāsaka).
Not teaching those who wear robes improperly also has an educational meaning: it is a gentle penalty, encouraging them to correct their conduct and return to observance of the Vinaya.
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