四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 1.536

1.536

Fourth, explaining the abbreviated recitations and miscellaneous practices. As for "abbreviated recitation," if there are the eight perils or other circumstances, as explained under the upoṣadha recitation, one should assess the size of the saṃgha, how near or far the peril is, and so forth. If the saṃgha is numerous, the weather hot, the place cramped, the light of dawn about to break, etc., one should order the five-virtue [monks] to recite thrice beside three to five senior monks, while for the remaining saṃgha, one recitation suffices. Or, if one person receives the pravāraṇā of two persons, kneeling on one knee, he must be in the middle, receiving from the left and right, and both must recite once, making it audible to the assembly. The Vinaya states: One must not perform pravāraṇā by whispering. Nowadays, if two five-virtue [monks] each perform pravāraṇā simultaneously at both ends, this is against the Dharma. In the Vinaya, when pravāraṇā was performed simultaneously and caused clamor and confusion, the Buddha ordered it to be done one by one in sequence, starting from the senior monk. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: One should perform pravāraṇā starting from the senior monk. One must not perform it in reverse order, skip persons in rows like distributing food, leap over others, or make collective announcements. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: If there is an urgent peril such as bandits that cannot be delayed, the five-virtue [monks] proceed before the senior monk, kneel on one knee, and announce: "Now there is a peril, so we cannot do even a single recitation; we must perform a karman so that each person recites thrice." The text says: "Let the venerable saṃgha listen! If the saṃgha's time has arrived, may the saṃgha consent: let the saṃgha now perform pravāraṇā mutually with three phrases each. This is the motion." Then facing each other individually, each person recites thrice, the wording being the same as the previous formula. If the peril draws even nearer, and one wishes to recite twice or once, a solitary motion is also required. Because this pravāraṇā is not performed before the five-virtue [monks], there is no basis for proceeding or stopping without it; thus a karman is required to inform the assembly. It is not like the previous abbreviation which does not require a formal announcement, because directly facing the five-virtue [monks], one can gauge the time whether long or short and has leeway. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya has six kinds of abbreviated recitations; for the sixth, when the peril is startlingly urgent, it allows simply departing. Second, explaining the demarcation of a small boundary during perilous circumstances to perform pravāraṇā seated in a circle; since this matter is rare, it is not set forth here.