Xct Mu Bu Pm Np 27Keeping Robes while Staying in Risky Regions
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sāsaṅka
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
THE SĀSAṄKA SUTTA: KEEPING PERSONAL ROBES IN DANGEROUS REGIONS
Background
The Sāsaṅka Sutta (also known as Keeping Robes while Staying in Risky Regions) is found in the Nissaggiya (Forfeiture) section of the Vinaya Piṭaka, which examines particular situations relating to the management of robes in the monastic life of monks and nuns during the Rains Retreat. This was a period when the Buddha was still present in the world, and monastics had to contend with practical difficulties in maintaining their three robes and the monk's bowl.
Sāsaṅka means "new moon" or "nascent moon," yet here the title of the sutta is understood to carry the connotation of the "vulnerability" or "fragility" of practitioners when residing in places fraught with danger. Such regions may be deep forests, border territories, or areas frequented by bandits, where monastics are easily subject to attack, illness, or the loss of their belongings.
The Vinaya Piṭaka was established by the Buddha to safeguard the monastic community—not as a set of rigid rules, but as wisdom in adapting to varied circumstances. This sutta reflects that very spirit: how to preserve discipline under difficult conditions.
Principal Contents
The sutta examines the question: when monastics must remain in dangerous regions—areas plagued by bandits, places where warfare frequently occurs, or territories that are unsafe—are they permitted to keep their robes and personal requisites in ways that do not always conform strictly to the standard regulations?
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka, under ordinary circumstances a bhikkhu must observe the Cīvaravastu (the four robes: the inner robe, the outer robe, the shoulder mantle, and the robe worn when going on almsround). A bhikkhunī must maintain five robes. Other requisites such as the hat and sandals are likewise governed by clear regulations. However, the Sāsaṅka Sutta acknowledges that in dangerous regions, adhering to these rules with absolute strictness may give rise to adverse consequences—the monastic may be robbed, attacked, or may lack the means to properly care for and preserve these belongings.
🌏 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.