Bi Pc 141141. Hiding a robe
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvaraapanidhāna
A nun who hides the requisites of another nun must confess the offense.
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The Sutta on Hiding a Robe — Bhikkhunī Pc 141
Background
The Cīvaraapanidhāna (Hiding a robe) is found in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Bhikkhunī Pāṭimokkha — the code of purification for bhikkhunīs. These rules were set forth by the Buddha to maintain harmony and discipline within the community of bhikkhunīs, particularly with regard to the management of personal belongings and respect for the property of others.
In the Theravāda tradition, the safeguarding of one's own possessions as well as those of others is regarded as a basic expression of ethical conduct (sīla). Bhikkhunīs are those who have gone forth into homelessness, living with a minimum of necessary requisites, among which the robe (cīvara) is one of the most indispensable — serving both as clothing and as a symbol of one's identity as a monastic.
Main Content
This rule stipulates that if a bhikkhunī deliberately hides or conceals the monastic property — specifically the robe — of another bhikkhunī, such an act is considered an offense (pācittiya — requiring confession). This is not the most serious offense in the Vinaya Piṭaka, but it nonetheless requires confession before a gathering of bhikkhunīs as witnesses.
The act of "hiding" or "concealing" (apanidhāna) encompasses not only the physical secreting away or concealment of an object, but may also be understood as obstructing another's access to her own property. The distinction made in the Buddha's Vinaya here is quite subtle: not all acts involving another person's property carry the same degree of transgression. The act of concealment, though a wrongdoing, is classified as pācittiya rather than pārājika (an offense entailing loss of status) or saṅghādisesa (an offense requiring resolution by a formal assembly).
This reflects the principle that a bhikkhunī must respect the property rights of others, even with regard to the most simple of requisites. Moral shame (hirī) and moral dread (ottappa) are of the utmost importance in the conduct of one who has gone forth.
Practical Significance
This rule teaches, on the negative side, what ought not to be done; yet on the positive side, it guides bhikkhunīs toward the virtue of honesty and respect. In a community of practitioners living together, trust is the foundation.
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