Bi Np 22. Distributing out-of-season robe-cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Akālacīvara
A nun who distributes robe-cloth inappropriately must relinquish the robe-cloth and confess the offense.
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The Sutta on Distributing Out-of-Season Robe-Cloth (Akālacīvara Bhikkhunī Pācittiya)
Background
The Akālacīvara belongs to the Bhikkhunī Pācittiya section of the Vinaya Piṭaka within the Theravāda tradition, preserved in the Pāli Canon. These are regulations pertaining to Pācittiya offenses — among the more serious categories of transgression within the Vinaya for nuns.
The context from which this rule arose is connected with the management of communal property within the Saṅgha, particularly robe-cloth. During the time of the Buddha, bhikkhunīs were provided with necessary requisites, including robe-cloth (cīvara). However, such goods were not personal property but communal property of the Saṅgha, with clearly defined regulations governing the timing of their distribution and manner of use.
Principal Content
The Akālacīvara stipulates that a bhikkhunī is not permitted to distribute robe-cloth among her companions at an inappropriate time — that is, outside the prescribed season. In the Theravāda tradition, the Buddhist year is divided into three principal formal seasons of practice, and the distribution of basic requisites must follow this schedule. The appropriate season for distributing robe-cloth is clearly determined so as to ensure fairness, to prevent self-serving conduct, and to guard against the misuse of communal property.
If a bhikkhunī distributes robe-cloth outside the stipulated period — regardless of whether her intention is good — she commits a Pācittiya offense. According to the regulation, such a bhikkhunī must undertake two steps of rectification: first, she must relinquish the item distributed contrary to the rule (paccayo); second, she must confess her transgression before the Saṅgha or before a presiding bhikkhunī.
This regulation applies not only to the act of distribution itself but also encompasses cases where a bhikkhunī instructs another to carry out such distribution, or indirectly assists in an act of distribution contrary to the rule. The purpose is to protect the principle of transparent and equitable management of communal property, and to prevent conflict and misunderstanding within the Saṅgha.
Practical Significance
The Akālacīvara teaches us that timely discipline and adherence to regulation are not rigid constraints but rather the foundation of harmony and trust within the community of practice.
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