Bi Np 1717. Accepting too many robes
Pāli / Sanskrit:Tatuttari
When a nun’s robes are lost or destroyed, she should show moderation in asking for robe-cloth. If she does not, she must relinquish the robe-cloth and confess the offense.
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TATUTTARI SUTTA: THE DUPLICITY OF TROUBLING OTHERS FOR CLOTH
Commentary on Bhikkhunī Pācittiya NP 17 (Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka)
Background
In the time of the Buddha, the bhikkhunīs practiced the path of modest living and few desires. Nevertheless, the maintenance of robes (cīvara) presented a practical challenge. When robes were lost or damaged, bhikkhunīs needed to request cloth in order to sew new ones. The Tatuttari Sutta (from tatu = cloth, uttari = in excess) records the occasion on which certain bhikkhunīs abused this privilege—requesting cloth unnecessarily and accumulating robes beyond measure, contrary to the spirit of early monastic practice.
The Buddha established rules concerning restraint and moderation in the use of robes. This text is not complex legislation, but rather a teaching on self-discipline and conformity with the Holy Discipline (Vinaya). The context reflects a common truth: when legitimate needs are met, there are times when acquisitiveness arises, and a boundary between necessity and surplus becomes essential.
Principal Contents
The Tatuttari Sutta stipulates that when a bhikkhunī's robe is lost or destroyed (vippakāra, torn to ruin), she is permitted to request cloth from laypeople or the Saṅgha. However, what is essential is moderation in requesting (appicchata—few desires). If a bhikkhunī requests cloth beyond her actual need, or intentionally accumulates it to avoid the maturation of her practice, she has committed an offense.
The penalty (āpatti) is that she must relinquish all such cloth (tassa cīvarassa paṭinissagga) and confess the offense before the Saṅgha or her preceptor. This is not a gentle acknowledgment of a minor fault, but a public act of confession (pabbajjanīya), expressing that greed in the use of Saṅgha property is a serious matter of spiritual integrity.
The heart of this text lies in the concept of *"excess" (uttari)*—going beyond the boundary of what is necessary. It does not prohibit the requesting of robes, but rather restrains the mind of greed that obscures awareness.
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