Bi Np 2020. Excessive prompting to get a robe
Pāli / Sanskrit:Rāja
When money to be used for a nun’s robe has been placed with a steward in the proper way, that nun may hint to the steward that she needs a robe. If she does not get a robe in this way, but she does get one by acting inappropriately, she must relinquish the robe and confess the offense. This rule also prescribes the procedure through which a lay follower comes to hold money on behalf of a donor who wishes to support a nun.
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Explanation of the Bi Np 20 — Vinaya Rule on Excessive Prompting Regarding Robes
Background
This rule appears in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, in the Nisaggiya Pācittiya (Forfeiture and Confession) section of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka. These are regulations concerning improper actions related to the acquisition of material goods or other unusual gains within the monastic community.
Bi Np 20 deals specifically with the subject of robes (cīvara) for bhikkhunīs. In the Theravāda tradition, the receipt of robes may be mediated through a steward (ārāmika), a designated lay supporter appointed to manage resources or funds for the purpose of supporting the nuns. This rule reflects a careful balance between permitting bhikkhunīs to make legitimate requests for basic needs while preventing exploitative or overbearing conduct that could undermine monastic discipline and communal trust.
Main Content
The rule stipulates that when money or a robe fund has been properly placed in the hands of a steward, a bhikkhunī is permitted to gently suggest or make known to the steward that she is in need of a new robe. The phrase "in the proper manner" (sammā) here signifies that the funds must be acknowledged, witnessed, and formally deposited under community oversight or with clarity of intended purpose.
However, if a bhikkhunī does not obtain a robe through this wholesome channel, but instead employs improper means — such as pressuring, criticizing, threatening, or manipulating the steward — in order to acquire a robe, she must forfeit that robe and confess the offense (nissaggiya pācittiya). This is not merely a material relinquishment but also an inward act of repentance.
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