Xct Mu Bu Pm Np 13A New Blanket Should Have Mixed Colors
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dvebhāga
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
THE DISCOURSE ON THE NEW BLANKET WITH MIXED COLORS - DVEBHĀGA
Background
The body of rules for monks and nuns (Vinaya Piṭaka) records instructions on managing the material property of the Sangha community. The Dvebhāga discourse belongs to the Nuns' Pātimokkha, the precepts for the female Sangha, and consists of special regulations for bhikkhunīs. In the context of Early Buddhism, the management of basic robes is not merely a matter of property, but is directly connected with practice, meditation, and the teaching of the Dharma.
This discourse reflects a period when female monastics were permitted to own and use robes, not for decoration or display, but to cover the body in accordance with the spirit of austere practice. The regulation concerning robe color has deep significance - it expresses values of equality, reverence for communal Dharma and law, and the renunciation of vanity.
Main Content
The Dvebhāga discourse (that is, "two parts" or "two colors") discusses the conditions under which a newly made robe is formally offered to the female Sangha. It states that a newly made robe should have "mixed colors" - not colors so bright that the wearer becomes conspicuous or self-satisfied, but combined tones, perhaps blue mixed with pale yellow, or intermediate shades.
In practice, this regulation is meant to prevent attachment to outward beauty. A robe of "mixed colors" does not have the strong attraction of pure colors (such as bright red or dazzling yellow), and thus helps the female Sangha more easily abandon fondness for enticing colors. This rule also expresses simplicity and the rejection of ornaments or displays that may lead to the fading of Dharma practice.
The discourse also records exceptions - when the robe is first processed, or when it has been treated (proksunnita) through dyeing work to turn it into "less attractive" colors, the regulation may then be applied more flexibly.
Practical Meaning
The profound meaning of this discourse lies in the psychological foundation of practice.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.