A Brief Introduction to the Gradual Development of Kaṭhina

Abstract

The Kaṭhina pinkama (the ritual of kaṭhina) can be introduced as one of the extremely important features in the Buddhist culture. However, it seems that there is no proper understanding of the Kaṭhina because the basic concept of kaṭhina has been alienated from the early Buddhism. The basic Buddhist teaching on the kaṭhina seems to have been promulgated some time after the early period of Buddhism. Based on the ‘rainy retreat’, the kaṭhina ritual has been incorporated in the vinaya (discipline) tradition as a later act of vinaya. The basic objective of this essay is discussing the philosophical importance of the kaṭhina. There are a few occasions through which a philosophical approach can be obtained on the specific acts of vinaya related to kaṭhina and the subsequent rituals: