After rebuking those monks in many ways, they told the Buddha. Soon afterwards he gave a teaching and addressed the monks: “Monks, if a monk’s robes are stolen or lost, I allow him to ask an unrelated householder for robes. At the first monastery where he arrives, if the Sangha has a communal robe, a bedspread, a floor cover, or a mattress cover, he should take that and put it on, thinking, ‘When I get a robe, I’ll return it.’ If there’s none of these things, he should cover up with grass and leaves before going on. He should not go on while naked. If he does, he commits an offense of wrong conduct. And so, monks, this training rule should be recited like this:

Final ruling ‘If a monk asks an unrelated male or female householder for a robe, except on an appropriate occasion, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.

These are the appropriate occasions: his robes are stolen or his robes are lost.’”

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 male householder: any man who lives at home. A female householder: any woman who lives at home. A robe: one of the six kinds of robe-cloth, but not smaller than what can be assigned to another. Except on an appropriate occasion: unless it is an appropriate occasion. His robes are stolen: a monk’s robe is taken by kings, bandits, scoundrels, or whoever. His robes are lost: a monk’s robe is burned by fire, carried away by flooding, eaten by rats or termites, or worn through use.