大比丘三千威儀 1.16

1.16

Having already left niśraya and been allowed to ordain disciples, one who ordains disciples and gathers a following should understand the rules for gathering the assembly. If there is no one in the assembly who understands the Dharma, even a hundred or a thousand persons must not dwell in a single place. Therefore Upāli asked the Master: “Why do bhikṣus residing in one place live like dumb sheep?” The Buddha said: “Because the bhikṣus do not understand four dharmas. First, not understanding the recitation of the prātimokṣa: not understanding the matters of the precepts means not yet knowing how to determine the broad benefits and shared deliberations in accordance with the scriptures. Second, not understanding the procedures for the recitation of the prātimokṣa: whether the fourteenth day or the fifteenth day is suitable for the broad or abbreviated [recitation]; for four or more persons, distributing salākā and reciting broadly; for two or three persons, reciting the precepts three times; for one person, mental reflection and verbal expression. If, while reciting the prātimokṣa, an unexpected obstruction arises after just finishing the recitation of the introduction, the second, or the third section, a single jñaptikarman should be performed: ‘Now an event has arisen. The introduction has already been recited; the rest the saṅgha has heard regularly.’ If the saṅgha asks and one does not know the above matters, this is called not understanding the procedures for reciting the prātimokṣa. Third, not understanding the karmans: when one should perform a jñaptidvitīyā karmavācanā, when one should perform a jñapticatutthā karmavācanā, illicit acts, and schismatic assemblies. An illicit act means performing the karman first and making the proclamation afterward; or the person involved is not present, or even if present, the proclamation is made without informing him of the matter. A schismatic assembly means: those who should entrust their consent do not do so, and the karman is performed outside the sīmā regarding the person involved. The same applies to the saṅgha within the sīmā: only after delineating the inner sīmā do they delineate the outer sīmā—this is an illicit and schismatic assembly. Or an illicit assembly gathers in one place, or an assembly harmoniously unites but performs poṣadha unlawfully. Things such as these are called not understanding the assembly’s karmans. Fourth, not understanding assembly seating. During the recitation of the prātimokṣa and pravāraṇā, when guest bhikṣus arrive, whether one should recite again or should not recite again; whether they should be permitted to listen in order of seniority or not permitted to listen in order of seniority; whether the resident bhikṣus should leave the sīmā while sending the guest bhikṣus out. Or at times when few guests arrive, although one need not recite again, if a guest has high virtue, or is obstinate and capable of causing strife, one should recite again yet does not recite. Things such as these are called not understanding assembly seating. If no one in the assembly understands the above four dharmas, they must not dwell in a single place; they should invite a person who understands the Dharma to come. If they invite one and cannot obtain him, the entire assembly should dwell relying on another assembly that understands the Dharma. If they neither invite one nor dwell relying on another assembly that understands the Dharma, the entire assembly incurs a duṣkṛta offense.”