Three robes and bedclothes are the necessities of monks‟ lifebut they have different usages: three robes are for daily wearingwhile bedclothes are for resting or sleeping. However, Daoxuan, thefounder of Chinese Vinaya School, viewed that the “bedclothes”discussed in the so-called “four precepts on bedclothes” are in fact “three robes”. Daoxuan also advocated the prohibition of silk robes.All these were refuted by Yijing, the chief translator of the Mūlasarvāstivāda-Vinaya. Other Vinaya masters commented on that issue as well. This paper tries to gather all the relevant informations from various Vinaya, the commentaries on the Vinaya and the works of Chinese Buddhist masters, with an eye to trace and comment on the origin and development of that “bedclothes issue” and points out that there is no substantial divergence between Daoxuan and Yijing.
