Bi Pc 2222. Making an oversize bathing robe

Udakasāṭika: On Making an Oversized Bathing Robe

Background

This text is recorded in the Bhikkhuṇī Pātimokkha (the Code of Discipline for nuns), in the Pācittiya section — offenses requiring confession. Udakasāṭika means "a robe used for bathing in water," an essential article of clothing in the communal life of monastics in ancient India.

The historical context behind this text concerns the regulations governing the modest way of life of the bhikkhuṇīs. In communal monastic life, each everyday article serves the purpose of restraint, keeping one removed from indulgence or drifting into contrary tendencies. The bathing robe is not an ornament or a contrivance, but a fundamental element of purity and discipline. Adhering to the proper measurements of such a garment reflects the spirit of non-attachment and non-entanglement with external conditions.

Main Content

According to the Udakasāṭika, if a bhikkhuṇī makes or arranges a bathing robe (udakasāṭika) whose dimensions exceed the standard measurements prescribed by the Sangha, she commits a Pācittiya offense. This offense is not as grave as a Pārājika (one of the four defeats), yet it must still be confessed before other bhikkhuṇīs or before a preceptress (guruṇī or ācariyā).

The "proper" measurements are determined according to the general standards of the monastic community, ordinarily transmitted through the guidance of the great elders (mahāthera). Exceeding these standards is regarded as an act warranting self-reproach, a sign of lack of restraint or of attempting to attract attention.

This offense illustrates the detailed character of the Pātimokkha — the monastic code governs not only great matters but also the particulars of daily life. This is not mere formalism, but a means of training the mind, diminishing worldly ambition and latent desires.