佛說目連問戒律中五百輕重事 1.339

1.339

問：「五戒若不能持，得中還不？」答：「得還。若欲都還五戒者，合三自歸還，言：『從今日佛非我尊，我非佛弟子。』如是至三。法僧亦爾。若還一二三四者，但言：『我從今日不能復持某戒。』如是至三。若不滿三，戒猶成就。」

Question: "If one cannot uphold the five precepts, may they be returned partway through?" Answer: "They may be returned. If one wishes to return all five precepts, return them together with the three refuges, saying: 'From this day forward, the Buddha is not my honoured one, and I am not a disciple of the Buddha.' Repeat this up to three times. It is the same for the Dharma and the saṅgha. If returning one, two, three, or four [precepts], merely say: 'From this day forward, I can no longer uphold such-and-such precept.' Repeat this up to three times. If it does not reach three times, the precepts still remain in effect."