Bi Np 33. Taking back a traded robe
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraparivattana
A nun who takes back a robe given in exchange to another nun must relinquish the robe and confess the offense.
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Cīvaraparivattana: Taking Back a Traded Robe
Background
The Nisaggiya Pācittiya (Bi Np) section of the Vinaya Piṭaka records the rules that bhikkhunīs must observe when an offense has been committed. These rules were established by the Buddha or recognized by the Sangha in order to protect the monastic way of life and to maintain harmony within the Sangha community. The Cīvaraparivattana (Bi Np 3) concerns the matter of exchanging property within the Sangha, specifically robes—the sacred symbol of the going-forth into homelessness.
In monastic life, bhikkhunīs may have occasion to trade robes with one another for practical reasons or reasons of personal suitability. Such an action, however, requires sincerity and finality. If a bhikkhunī, having completed an exchange, then takes back the robe she has given away, that action is regarded as an offense of Nisaggiya Pācittiya—an offense requiring that the article involved be forfeited and the transgression confessed before the Sangha.
Main Content
According to this rule, when a bhikkhunī exchanges her robe with another bhikkhunī (cīvaraparivattana), the exchange is to be regarded as concluded. Should the one who made the exchange subsequently wish to reclaim the robe she gave away, for whatever reason, the act of taking it back constitutes an offense. This is not because the act of exchanging robes is in itself wrong, but because of the insincerity and breach of commitment involved in the exchange.
To rectify this offense, the bhikkhunī must carry out two steps. First, she must forfeit or relinquish the robe she has taken back to another person—not to the one who originally made the demand. Second, she must confess this offense before the Sangha or before an experienced bhikkhunī. This confession is not made in order to seek forgiveness, but to give open expression to her remorse and her resolve not to repeat the transgression.
This rule reflects a profound principle: within the Sangha, trust and one's word must be honored as the most precious of seeds. Once an exchange has been made, the act must be complete; one may not retreat or change course according to the whims of the mind.
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