大比丘三千威儀 1.17

1.17

Having attained leave of niśraya, being permitted to ordain disciples, and having obtained followers, one should next purify the body and speech, and purify robes and food. Purifying the body means washing after urination and defecation, and clipping the ten fingernails. Purifying speech means chewing a tooth-stick, rinsing the mouth, and scraping the tongue. If one does not wash after urination and defecation, one incurs a duṣkṛta offense, and one is not permitted to sit on the saṅgha's pure seat covers or pay homage to the Three Jewels; even if one pays homage, there is no merit. If one does not chew a tooth-stick, eating, taking medicine, or drinking incurs three duṣkṛta offenses. If one approaches a village without pure robes, one incurs a duṣkṛta offense. Purified food means: not touched by a fully ordained monk, not stored overnight or eaten together with an untrustworthy person, not kept in an impure vessel, bowls and vessels washed with bath-powder, not using wooden vessels to hold food, and not obtained through personal farming or trade—such as these are pure robes. The reason for wearing pure robes is [for] squat-sitting. As for eating: when the Buddha first attained enlightenment and finished eating the porridge from the porridge-maker’s daughter, he reflected to himself: “If there are renunciant disciples, how should they sit? How should they eat?” He observed that according to the dharma of all Buddhas, they all wear pure robes, sit squatting to one side, and eat in a single sitting. “The practice of my disciples shall also be like this.” The reason for wearing pure robes is that one wishes to establish boundaries and safeguards, being able to protect all the precepts. The reason for squat-sitting is for the sake of the pure robes, also to reverse worldly customs, and also because sitting on grass to eat is easy. For failing to squat-sit in accordance with the Dharma, one incurs nine duṣkṛta offenses: first, legs stretched forward or drawn back; second, legs spread wide; third, shaking; fourth, knees upright; fifth, crossing legs; sixth, hanging the tricīvara down to cover the feet; seventh, lifting the heels; eighth, crossing the feet; ninth, crossing the thighs—all of these incur duṣkṛta offenses. For not squat-sitting, one incurs three duṣkṛta offenses. As for why one sits to receive incense: in a bhikṣu residence in the country of Daba, a woman offering incense touched a bhikṣu’s hand; giving rise to lustful thoughts because of this, he immediately disrobed. The master asked the reason, and he explained the causes and conditions. Because of this, it was reported to the Buddha, and the Buddha forthwith established a precept: receiving incense while standing incurs a duṣkṛta offense. As for why one must not eat repeatedly but eat only one meal: preparing food, begging, or washing vessels obstructs half a day’s labor, increases the fetters of lust, anger, and delusion, and is no different from worldly people—therefore, one takes only one meal.