Bu Np 2424. Making a rainy-season robe at the wrong time
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vassikasāṭika
A monk who seeks or uses a rainy-season robe inappropriately must relinquish it and confess the offense.
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Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Great Analysis
The chapter on relinquishment The subchapter on almsbowls 24. Making a rainy-season robe at the wrong time
Origin story
At one time when the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery, he allowed the rainy-season robe for the monks. Knowing that this was the case, the monks from the group of six went looking for cloth for their rainy-season robes in advance. And after sewing them in advance, they wore them. Then, because their rainy-season robes were worn out, they bathed naked in the rain.
The monks of few desires complained and criticized them, “How could the monks from the group of six go looking for cloth for their rainy-season robes in advance, sew them in advance, and then wear them, and then, because their rainy-season robes are worn out, bathe naked in the rain?”
After rebuking the monks from the group of six in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned the monks: “Is it true, monks, that you did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
The Buddha rebuked them … “Foolish men, how could you do this? This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:
Final ruling
‘When there is a month left of summer, a monk may go looking for cloth for his rainy-season robe. When there is a half-month left, he may sew it and then wear it. If he goes looking for cloth for his rainy-season robe when there is more than a month left of summer, or if he sews it and then wears it when there is more than a half-month left, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.’”
Definitions
When there is a month left of summer, a monk may go looking for cloth for his rainy-season robe: after going to those people who previously, too, have given cloth for the rainy-season robes, he should say, “It’s time for the rainy-season robe,” “It’s the occasion for the rainy-season robe,” “Other people, too, are giving cloth for the rainy-season robe.” He should not say, “Give me cloth for the rainy-season robe,” “Bring me cloth for the rainy-season robe,” “Trade me cloth for the rainy-season robe,” “Buy me cloth for the rainy-season robe.” When there is a half-month left, he may sew it and then wear it: after sewing it during the last half-month of summer, he may wear it.
When there is more than a month left of summer: if he goes looking for cloth for the rainy-season robe when there is more than a month left of summer, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. When there is more than a half-month left: if he wears it after sewing it when there is more than a half-month left of summer, it becomes subject to relinquishment.
The rainy-season robe should be relinquished to a sangha, a group, or an individual. “And, monks, it should be relinquished like this. …” (To be expanded as in Bu NP 1:3.2.5–3.2.29, with appropriate substitutions.)
“Venerables, this cloth for the rainy-season robe, which I went looking for when there was more than a month left of summer or which I wore after sewing it when there was more than a half-month left of summer, is to be relinquished. I relinquish it to the Sangha.” … “the Sangha should give …” “you should give …” “I give this cloth for the rainy-season robe back to you.”
Permutations
If there is more than a month left of summer, and he perceives it as more, and he goes looking for cloth for a rainy-season robe, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If there is more than a month left of summer, but he is unsure of it, and he goes looking for cloth for a rainy-season robe, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If there is more than a month left of summer, but he perceives it as less, and he goes looking for cloth for a rainy-season robe, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.
If there is more than a half-month left of summer, and he perceives it as more, and he wears the rainy-season robe after sewing it, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If there is more than a half-month left of summer, but he is unsure of it, and he wears the rainy-season robe after sewing it, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If there is more than a half-month left of summer, but he perceives it as less, and he wears the rainy-season robe after sewing it, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.
If he has a rainy-season robe, but he bathes naked in the rain, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If there is less than a month left of summer, but he perceives it as more, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If there is less than a month left of summer, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If there is less than a month left of summer, and he perceives it as less, there is no offense.
If there is less than a half-month left of summer, but he perceives it as more, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If there is less than a half-month left of summer, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If there is less than a half-month left of summer, and he perceives it as less, there is no offense.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if he goes looking for cloth for the rainy-season robe when there is a month left of summer; if he wears the rainy-season robe after sewing it when there is a half-month left of summer; if he goes looking for cloth for the rainy-season robe when there is less than a month left of summer; if he wears the rainy-season robe after sewing it when there is less than a half-month left of summer; if, after looking for a rainy-season robe, he postpones the rainy-season residence; if, after wearing a rainy-season robe, he postpones the rainy-season residence (in which case he should wash it and store it and then use it at the right time); if his robe has been stolen; if his robe has been lost; if there is an emergency; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.
The training rule on making a rainy-season robe at the wrong time, the fourth, is finished.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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