- Dhammadharini
- Oct 11
- 5 min read
October 11, 2025
Monastic life trains us to be content to meet the needs of the body with the most simple requisites - food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. The monastic robe, a simple rectangle of cloth, is the most basic garment that can be used to cover the body and provide warmth and protection.
The monastics live in a cooperative relationship with the Upasakas and Upasikas, the lay disciples of the Buddha, who commit to providing these requisites for the monastics, and together all benefit from this collective effort which sustains the teachings of the Buddha in our world.
At Kathina, we celebrate this relationship between the monastic Sangha and the lay community, represented through the offering of the Kathina robe.
What does “Kathina” mean?
The word Kathina refers to a frame or loom; originally a frame called a Kathina was used to stretch the cloth flat for sewing of the robe–similar to a quilting frame.
Where do we find this in the Pali canon?
The vinaya allowance and requirements for Kathina are specified in the Kathinakkhandhaka, “The chapter on the robe-making ceremony.”
Different traditions and monastic communities may handle the details of the offering and celebration differently, but there are some common elements, specified by Vinaya.
The Kathina is the same for Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis.
When is Kathina held?
Kathina is to be held in the fourth month of the India rainy season; the first month after the completion of first Vassa (the three-month Rains Retreat). The month-long Kathina season begins the day after the Kattika full moon–the full moon which marks the completion of first Vassa.
The Kathina celebration can be scheduled at any time during the Kathina season.
How many bhikkhunis are needed?
In order to hold a Bhikkhuni Kathina celebration, there must be at least five Bhikkhunis present. At least one of them must have properly completed the Vassa at the location where the Kathina is being held. It is allowable for the other Bhikkhunis to be invited visitors from other communities.
Who offers the robe?
There is usually a primary sponsor for Kathina - an individual, family, or small group who comes together to commit to offering the Kathina robe.
In some traditions, especially in Sri Lanka, the Kathina sponsors also commit to supporting the monastic community through the entire Vassa, leading up to Kathina. They may make a special commitment and organize friends to offer meals, provide financial support, volunteer to do physical work around the monastery, and request special Dhamma teachings.
What kind of robe may be offered?
The most essential element of Kathina is, of course, the offering of the robe. This may be offered as a completed robe, a partially-sewn robe, dyed cloth, or undyed cloth. Especially for undyed cloth it is often offered just after dawn on Kathina day (it’s good to start early!).
The Kathina robe must be one of the three robes of a Bhikkhuni which is in the punna Kheta (field of merit) design, the “paddy field” pattern. This means that the Kathina robe may be a Sanghati (outer robe), Uttarasanga (upper robe), or Antaravasika (lower robe).
How is the robe or cloth offered to the Bhikkhuni Sangha?
The cloth is offered to the Bhikkhuni Sangha, who bestows it on one member of the community. To be an eligible recipient, the Bhikkhuni must have completed the Vassa at the Kathina location. The cloth is bestowed officially by the Bhikkhunis reciting a Sanghakamma, a formal act of the Sangha. This is why there is a requirement for 5 Bhikkhunis: Four are the required quorum for the Sanghakamma, and one Bhikkhuni is the recipient.
How do the Bhikkhunis decide who receives the robe?
It must be a Bhikkhuni who is educated and competent to complete the responsibilities for the Kathina - overseeing the sewing of the robe, and reciting the text to Spread the Kathina (explained below). Often the community will consider whose robe is most worn-out and in need of replacement, who has not been a Kathina recipient recently, and who it may be especially nice to honor at this time. If a completed robe is offered, then its size must be considered when the recipient is chosen.
Completing the robe
In whatever form the robe is initially offered, it must be made into a completed robe - sewn and dyed - before dawn of the following day. Often this is a whole-community effort, with many hands coming together to work on the robe - and usually everyone, even the most inexperienced at sewing, can at least have the opportunity to sew a few stitches.
On a practical level, this is also a great opportunity to pass on sewing skills to the junior monastics, so they can experience the full process of making a robe.
Other elements of the Kathina day
During the sewing process, often there are Dhamma talks and Dhamma discussion happening simultaneously, so it is a full-day celebration for the whole community.
It is also a time for the lay community to show their appreciation and generosity towards the monastic community, and usually there are many other offerings in addition to the Kathina robe, and it’s often a time of fundraising for major monastery projects.
Completing the robe and “Spreading the Kathina”
When the robe is fully completed, the recipient follows the vinaya procedure to mark and determine it, making it one of her official set of five-robes, which she uses as a Bhikkhuni.
The Bhikkhuni recipient then recites the text to Spread the Kathina, informing the other Bhikkhunis either as a group or separately, and receiving their approval.
The term “spreading the kathina” originally referred to the spreading out of the kathina frame - and in time, this term came to be used to refer to the Sangha’s successful completion of the Kathina robe offering.
Kathina privileges
For the Bhikkhunis who complete Vassa and participate in Kathina, per vinaya they then receive “Kathina privileges,” for as long as they remain in their Vassa location. This is a slight relaxing of some rules, as a reward for the commitment to successfully complete the Vassa and remain in a stable location.
These privileges are:
They may go off without having asked permission.
They may go off without taking all three robes.
They may participate in a group meal.
They may keep robe-cloth as long as they need or want without having to determine it or place it under dual ownership.
Whatever robe-cloth arises there will be theirs. This means that they have sole rights to any cloth accruing to the Community in the residence where they spent the Vassa.
