Bu Np 55. Receiving a robe from a nun
Pāli / Sanskrit:Cīvarapaṭiggahana
A monk who accepts robe-cloth from a nun must relinquish the robe-cloth and confess the offense.
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Theravāda Collection on Monastic Law The Great Analysis
The chapter on relinquishment The subchapter on robes 5. Receiving a robe from a nun
Origin story First sub-story At one time when the Buddha was staying at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the nun Uppalavaṇṇā was staying at Sāvatthī. One morning she robed up, took her bowl and robe, and entered Sāvatthī to collect almsfood. When she had completed her almsround, eaten her meal, and returned, she went to the Blind Men’s Grove where she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day’s meditation.
Just then some bandits who had stolen and slaughtered a cow were taking the meat to the Blind Men’s Grove. The head bandit saw Uppalavaṇṇā sitting at the foot of that tree. He thought, “If my sons and brothers see this nun, they’ll harass her,” and he took a different path. Soon afterwards when the meat was cooked, he took the best part, tied it up with a palm-leaf wrap, hung it from a tree not far from Uppalavaṇṇā, and said, “Whatever ascetic or brahmin sees this gift, please take it.” And he left.
Uppalavaṇṇā had just come out from the stillness of meditation when she heard the head bandit making that statement. She took the meat and returned to the nunnery. The following morning she prepared the meat and made it into a bundle with her upper robe. She then rose into the air and landed in the Bamboo Grove.
When she arrived, the Buddha had already gone to the village for alms, but Venerable Udāyī had been left behind to look after the dwellings. Uppalavaṇṇā approached Udāyī and said, “Sir, where’s the Buddha?”
“He’s gone to the village for alms.”
“Please give this meat to the Buddha.”
“You’ll please the Buddha with that meat. If you give me your sarong, you’ll please me too.”
“It’s hard for women to get material support, and this is one of my five robes. I don’t have another. I can’t give it away.”
“Sister, just as a man giving an elephant might decorate it with a girdle, so should you, when giving meat to the Buddha, decorate me with your sarong.”
Being pressured by Udāyī, Uppalavaṇṇā gave him her sarong and then returned to the nunnery. The nuns who received Uppalavaṇṇā’s bowl and robe asked her where her sarong was. And she told them what had happened. The nuns complained and criticized Udāyī, “How could Venerable Udāyī receive a robe from a nun? It’s hard for women to get material support.”
The nuns told the monks. The monks of few desires complained and criticized Udāyī, “How could Venerable Udāyī receive a robe from a nun?”
After rebuking him in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he had the Sangha gathered and questioned Udāyī: “Is it true, Udāyī, that you did this?”
“It’s true, sir.”
“Is she a relative of yours?”
“No.”
“Foolish man, a man and a woman who are unrelated don’t know what’s appropriate and inappropriate, what’s good and bad, in dealing with each other. And still you did this. This will affect people’s confidence …” … “And, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:
Preliminary ruling
‘If a monk receives a robe directly from an unrelated nun, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.’”
In this way the Buddha laid down this training rule for the monks. Second sub-story Then, being afraid of wrongdoing, the monks did not receive robes from nuns even in exchange. The nuns complained and criticized them, “How can they not receive robes from us in exchange?”
The monks heard the criticism of those nuns and they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards the Buddha gave a teaching and addressed the monks:
“Monks, I allow you to receive things in exchange from five kinds of people: monks, nuns, trainee nuns, novice monks, and novice nuns.
And so, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:
Final ruling
‘If a monk receives a robe directly from an unrelated nun, except in exchange, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.’”
Definitions
A: whoever … Monk: … The monk who has been given the full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a legal procedure consisting of one motion and three announcements that is irreversible and fit to stand—this sort of monk is meant in this case. Unrelated: anyone who is not a descendant of one’s male ancestors going back eight generations, either on the mother’s side or on the father’s side. A nun: she has been given the full ordination by both Sanghas. A robe: one of the six kinds of robe-cloth, but not smaller than what can be assigned to another. Except in exchange: unless there is an exchange.
If he accepts, then for the effort there is an act of wrong conduct. When he gets the robe-cloth, it becomes subject to relinquishment.
The robe-cloth 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 robe-cloth, which I received directly from an unrelated nun without anything in exchange, is to be relinquished. I relinquish it to the Sangha.” … “the Sangha should give …” “you should give …” “I give this robe-cloth back to you.”
Permutations
If she is unrelated and he perceives her as such, and he receives robe-cloth from her, except in exchange, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If she is unrelated, but he is unsure of it, and he receives robe-cloth from her, except in exchange, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession. If she is unrelated, but he perceives her as related, and he receives robe-cloth from her, except in exchange, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.
If he receives robe-cloth directly from a nun who is fully ordained only on one side, except in exchange, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she is related, but he perceives her as unrelated, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she is related, but he is unsure of it, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. If she is related and he perceives her as such, there is no offense.
Non-offenses
There is no offense: if the nun is related; if much is exchanged with little or little is exchanged with much; if he takes it on trust; if he borrows it; if he receives any requisite apart from robe-cloth; if it is a trainee nun; if it is a novice nun; if he is insane; if he is the first offender.
The training rule on receiving a robe from a nun, the fifth, 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.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.