BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

The Robe-cloth Chapter Chapter 7.1Summary: Being in a separate zone from any of one's three robes at dawnrise —except when one's kaṭhina privileges are in effect or one has received formalauthorization from the Community — is a nissaggiya pācittiya offense.3. When a bhikkhu has finished his robe and the frame is dismantled(his kaṭhina privileges are ended): Should out-of-season robe-clothaccrues to him, he may accept it if he so desires. Having accepted it,he is to make it up immediately (into a cloth requisite). If it should notbe enough (§), he may lay it aside for a month at most when he hasan expectation for filling the lack. If he should he keep it beyond that,even when he has an expectation (for further cloth), it is to beforfeited and confessed.There are two factors for an offense here:1) Object: (a) out-of-season robe-cloth, made of any of the proper six kinds ofmaterial, in pieces measuring at least four by eight fingerbreadths; (b) thecloth is not enough to make the cloth requisite one has in mind, but oneexpects to receive more.2) Effort: One keeps the cloth for more than 30 days, except when the kaṭhinaprivileges are in effect.Object. The Vibhaṅga defines in-season robe-cloth as any robe-cloth accruing to abhikkhu — either from the Community, from a group, from relatives, from friends,from cast-off cloth, or from his own resources — during the first month after theRains-residence if he has not yet participated in a kaṭhina, or during the time whenhis kaṭhina privileges are in effect if he has. Thus out-of-season cloth is any clothaccruing to him at any other time. However, the Vibhaṅga also notes that clothaccruing to a bhikkhu during the one-month or five-month robe season can countas out-of-season cloth if the donors dedicate it to that purpose. There are tworeasons why they might want to do so.1) Given the way "extra robe-cloth" is defined under NP 1, a gift of in-seasonrobe-cloth can be kept — if it is neither determined nor placed under sharedownership — for ten days after the robe season ends. However, if the cloth isnot enough to make into a robe, it cannot be kept — if neither determinednor placed under shared ownership — for the month allowed by this rule.However, as the K/Commentary to NP 24 notes, a gift of out-of-season clothcan be kept for the extra month under this rule. Thus if the donors want toprovide the recipient(s) with that extra amount of time — which would be157