四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 2.187

2.187

Precept ten: Digging the earth. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: "Not digging the earth or destroying living things brings three benefits: first, it does not harm living beings; second, it halts slander; third, it serves as a great protection for the Buddha-Dharma. If the Buddha had not formulated these two precepts, kings and ministers would have conscripted bhikṣus for labor; because the Buddha formulated them, kings and ministers ceased such intent and no longer conscripted them, enabling them to cultivate the Path in tranquil conditions, generate wisdom, and sever defilements; this is called a great protection." Five conditions constitute the offense: first, it is living earth; second, one perceives it as living earth; third, one digs it oneself or instructs another to do so; fourth, when instructing another, one does not perform the formula of making it allowable; fifth, if it is damaged, one commits a pāyattika. The origin of the precept was the repair of the Buddha's lecture hall, which was rebuked and prohibited by the Bhagavat (today people often create offenses because of [seeking] merit, acting recklessly in hope of good fortune—how lamentable!). In the Vinaya, regarding earth: if earth has been dug, but after four months has been soaked by rain and returned to its original state; if one uses a hoe, mattock, or plow, or strikes it with a mallet, pierces it with a knife, scratches and tears it with fingernails, or lights a fire on the ground—provided that one perceives earth as earth, all incur a pāyattika. If one fails to instruct [a kappiyakāraka] by saying, 'Know this' or 'See to this,' it is a duṣkṛta. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: "If it is the base of a ruined wall of earth and stone, or an ant mound or heap of earth, if dug, it is a duṣkṛta; if digging in mud, even up to the knees, it is a duṣkṛta. Except when drawing a design on the ground for a stūpa or monastery of the saṃgha, or red ochre, white clay, bedrock, black sand, saline ground, and so forth—in all such cases there is no offense." The Shu edition of the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā discusses living earth and non-living earth: "'Living earth' refers to the fourth and eighth months, which are the rainy seasons; the earth is connected and continuously soaked with moisture, capable of generating grass and trees, and is termed 'living earth.' At other times without rain, baked dry by the sun, where the wind blows the soil up, it is conceptually termed 'non-living earth.' If one touches this dry earth on top, it is a duṣkṛta; if one impinges on the damp earth beneath, one commits a pāyattika; dry earth at the base of a wall level with the damp area is not an offense, as it is distinct from [living] earth. Even if pounded and worked, if soaked with moisture, disturbing it incurs a pāyattika. If grass grows on roofs or walls, touching and injuring the grass incurs a pāyattika, while injuring the soil is a duṣkṛta." The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "If one rolls stones along the ground, sweeps the ground, drags timber, or drives oxen or horses, with the intention of leveling the earth, injuring it even to the extent of a mosquito's leg, in all cases one commits a pāyattika. If a clod of earth cannot be broken by one person alone, breaking it incurs a pāyattika; if lighter than one person's weight, it is permitted. Driving stakes into the wall of a room, damaging the finished construction, is a duṣkṛta; if there was an existing hole, there is no offense. If earth exposed to rain on the outside is damaged even to the extent of a mosquito's leg, it is a pāyattika. Drawing characters on the ground is also a pāyattika; drawing on fine dust on the surface is no offense. When demolishing an old building, one should have a kappiyakāraka do it. If demolishing a wall, after having a kappiyakāraka remove the plaster, one may pull down [the bricks] oneself. If it had been exposed to rain, one has a kappiyakāraka remove two or three courses, and thereafter removes them oneself; when reaching the foundation, one again has a kappiyakāraka remove them. For water in wells, ponds, ditches, or pools, after fresh rain, one should have a kappiyakāraka bail it out; if made turbid by stirring, or if oxen or horses have trodden through it beforehand, one may bail it out oneself, because rainwater can produce living earth. When urinating or defecating, rubbing the ground with a wet hand incurs a pāyattika. If bottles, vessels, utensils, wood, bricks, or tiles have been in the open and exposed to rain, one must not take them oneself; taking them incurs a pāyattika. If it is pure sand, there is no offense; if half sand, it is a duṣkṛta. If dead earth has been rained upon, one has a kappiyakāraka take it; only after the limit of the rain's moisture is exhausted may one take it oneself." The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "If a wildfire threatens to burn the monastery, it is permitted to clear the intervening grass in advance, dig trenches to intercept it, extinguish it with earth, or burn a firebreak to clear it." The Samantapāsādikā states: "If earth has been scorched, it is also called non-earth. If earth contains sand, one washes it with water." The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "If there is one part sand to earth, there is no offense. If there is dry soil four inches thick on stone, one may take it. If a wildfire approaches near the monastery, for the sake of protecting the dwelling place, a bhikṣu may clear grass and dig earth to cut off the fire. If holding fire burns one's hand, throwing it to the ground is no offense." The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: "If a wildfire approaches, one should strike the gaṇḍī and issue an announcement." The rest is as in the various vinayas. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: "Instructing a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī to dig earth while using the allowable speech is a pāyattika; instructing the lower three assemblies or a kappiyakāraka without using the allowable speech is a duṣkṛta; if members of the three assemblies destroy earth or timber without the reason of benefiting the Three Jewels, it is a duṣkṛta." The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: "If there is no kappiyakāraka in an araṇya, a bhikṣu is permitted to sprinkle the ground with water, chop grass and spread it, and trample it to make mud for use." The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "Earth in a covered place may be dug by oneself (this is not explicit in the Dharmaguptaka text)." Non-offenses according to the Vinaya: if one says 'Know this' or 'See to this'; if dragging timber, bamboo, or wood; if setting upright a fallen fence; if overturning bricks or stones; if collecting cow dung; if taking earth from a collapsed riverbank; if taking molehills or rodent mounds; if walking back and forth in caṅkrama; if sweeping the ground; if poking the ground with a staff; or if, in all cases, one has no deliberate intention to dig—there is no offense.