Xct Mu Bu Pm Np 14A New Blanket Should be Kept for Six Years
Pāli / Sanskrit:Chabbassa
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Discourse on the New Blanket That Must Be Kept for Six Years
(Chabbassa - Vinaya Piṭaka)
Background
This discourse is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, specifically in the Pātimokkha section (the recitation and the rules of discipline). It arose from the practical context of the need to manage communal property and the necessary requisites for the training life of the bhikkhus.
During the Buddha’s lifetime, the Venerable Buddha saw that certain problems arose when disciples did not know how to manage the blankets and robes (cīvara) provided by the community or by laypeople. Some bhikkhus changed robes too frequently or did not know how to care for these requisites, causing waste and creating conditions for greed and attachment (lobha) to arise.
Therefore, the Buddha established a specific rule concerning the period of use and the protection of new blankets: they had to be kept for at least six years before they could be replaced. This rule was not a trivial restriction, but a measure of cultivation with a noble purpose.
Main Content
According to the rule in Chabbassa, when a bhikkhu receives a new blanket or robe provided by the community, he must undertake to keep it for six years (chabbassa). During this period, even if the blanket becomes torn or damaged, he must continue to use and repair it, and is not permitted to discard it or ask for a new one.
Only when six years have passed, and when the blanket is truly worn out and no longer usable, may he seek a new one. Even then, he must follow the proper communal procedure, ask permission, and record the receipt of the new requisite.
This rule is recorded in detail so that all bhikkhus and communities may observe it according to principles of fairness and order. It is not merely an administrative rule, but also an important part of the Pātimokkha, the fundamental code that bhikkhus must pledge to observe when gathered at the assembly (uposatha).
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