5. Cīvarapaṭiggahaṇasikkhāpada
Tena samayena buddho bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī sāvatthiyaṁ viharati. Atha kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi. Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya. Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi. Tena kho pana samayena corā katakammā gāviṁ vadhitvā maṁsaṁ gahetvā andhavanaṁ pavisiṁsu. Addasā kho coragāmaṇiko uppalavaṇṇaṁ bhikkhuniṁ aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisinnaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi— “sace me puttabhātukā passissanti viheṭhissanti imaṁ bhikkhunin”ti aññena maggena agamāsi. Atha kho so coragāmaṇiko maṁse pakke varamaṁsāni gahetvā paṇṇapuṭaṁ bandhitvā uppalavaṇṇāya bhikkhuniyā avidūre rukkhe ālaggetvā— “yo passati samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā dinnaṁyeva haratū”ti, vatvā pakkāmi. Assosi kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī samādhimhā vuṭṭhahitvā tassa coragāmaṇikassa imaṁ vācaṁ bhāsamānassa. Atha kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī taṁ maṁsaṁ gahetvā upassayaṁ agamāsi. Atha kho uppalavaṇṇā bhikkhunī tassā rattiyā accayena taṁ maṁsaṁ sampādetvā uttarāsaṅgena bhaṇḍikaṁ bandhitvā vehāsaṁ abbhuggantvā veḷuvane paccuṭṭhāsi.
Receiving a robe from a nun Origin story First substory
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.