四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 2.394

2.394

八約佛前後。佛在時勝，滅後劣。正法、像法、末法，漸弱。以優波掘多問尼為證；佛世六群，極為麁暴；滅後無學，威儀不及也。

Eighth, in terms of before and after the Buddha's lifetime. During the Buddha's lifetime it was superior; after his parinirvāṇa it is inferior. In the True Dharma, Semblance Dharma, and Final Dharma ages, it becomes progressively weaker. This is verified by Upagupta questioning the bhikṣuṇī: the group-of-six in the Buddha's time was extremely crude and violent, yet those of no-learning after his parinirvāṇa could not equal their īryāpatha.