Bi Pc 165165. Making an oversize itch cloth

Vinaya Bhikkhunī Pc 165: The Matter of an Oversize Itch-Covering Cloth

Background

This rule is recorded in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha, the section of the Vinaya concerning offenses requiring confession by female monastics within the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. The regulation concerning the kaṇḍuppaṭicchādi (the cloth for covering an itch) arose from specific situations occurring in the life of the early monastic community.

During the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni, female monastics had need of cloths and woven pieces for treating itching sores, skin ailments, or minor wounds on the body. However, the making and use of such articles had to conform to principles befitting the spirit of the holy life — avoiding sensuality, avoiding indulgence, and refraining from excessive care of the body. Accordingly, the dimensions of these covering cloths were strictly regulated so as to prevent misuse or deviation from their medical purpose.

Main Content

Rule Bhikkhunī Pc 165 states clearly: A bhikkhunī may not on her own initiative make an itch-covering cloth (kaṇḍuppaṭicchādi) that exceeds the permitted size. Should any bhikkhunī do so, the offense is classified as a pācittiya — that is, an offense requiring confession and acknowledgment before the monastic community.

The standard size prescribed is that such cloths must not exceed one cubit (a traditional unit of measurement, approximately the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger). If a bhikkhunī makes a cloth larger than this standard, she must cut it down to the proper size and proceed to confess this offense at the fortnightly recitation of the Pātimokkha.

The purpose of this rule is not to impose arbitrary restrictions, but to safeguard the purity of the spirit of monastic practice. A cloth that is excessively large could give rise to attitudes incompatible with the holy life, such as excessive attention to the body, or even create occasion for thoughts that are not wholesome.