At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery. At that time monks who had completed the rainy-season residence were staying in wilderness dwellings. Thieves who were active during the month of Kattika attacked those monks, thinking, “They have been given things.” The monks told the Buddha. Soon afterwards the Buddha gave a teaching and addressed the monks: “Monks, I allow monks who are staying in wilderness dwellings to store one of their three robes in an inhabited area.”

When they heard about this, monks stored one of their three robes in inhabited areas, staying apart from them for more than six days. The robes were lost, destroyed, burned, and eaten by rats. As a consequence, those monks became poorly dressed. Other monks asked them why, and they told them what had happened. The monks of few desires complained and criticized them, “How could those monks store one of their three robes in an inhabited area and then stay apart from it for more than six days?”