Relinquishment With Confession 21

The 21st training precept: Not looking after the five robes.

Origin Story

At Sāvatthī. Women have bad memory by nature. The bhikkhunīs didn’t know which was the saṅgāṭī, which was the upper robe, which was the lower robe, which was the skirt Kusūla*, which was the vest Saṅkaccika*. Then Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī went to the World-honored One, paid respect with her head at the Buddha’s feet, sat at one side and told the Buddha about the matter. The Buddha said: “Because of this issue, the bhikkhunīs should look after their five determined robes within a half-month.” The Buddha thus made them keep (this rule). Then Thullā bhikkhunī didn’t look after her determined (robes) every half-month. The bhikkhunīs told the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus told the Buddha. The Buddha gathered the bhikkhunīs for this reason as before, asked if it was true, and criticized her, as explained in detail, down to: “I’ll lay down another training precept for the bhikkhunīs in the vinaya. You should recite it like this:

Final Ruling

‘If a bhikkhunī doesn’t look after the five determined robes within a half-month, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya.’” The rule in the pātimokkha is phrased slightly differently: If a bhikkhunī doesn’t wear the five determined robes within a half-month, it’s a nissaggiya pācittiya. Several of the nissaggiya pācittiyas have differences between the pātimokkha and the vibhaṅga.*

Explanations

Those robes should be relinquished, and the offense must be confessed.

Herein, the factors of the offense: If a bhikkhunī doesn’t look after the five robes within each half-month, she incurs a nissaggiya pācittiya each time.