四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 2.42

2.42

Seventh, the conditions of upasampadā in China. I have heard people say: "The reception of precepts in this land originally had no beginning; even if those who receive them now slightly deviate from the fulfillment of conditions, how could there be any doubt in principle that they are obtained? As long as one has the mind to honor the precepts, none fail to fall within the limit of obtaining the precepts." Hearing these words all of a sudden, I could not help but sigh. Can it be that because thunder shakes the earth, the deaf do not hear it; or because the seven luminaries shine brilliantly in the sky, the blind do not see them? Since one has a limited view, how can one make irresponsible claims? Therefore, citing the sacred teachings, it is brilliantly clear: if conditions are fulfilled, upasampadā is accomplished; if not fulfilled, it is not obtained. Upasampadā in this land is clearly shown in the Biographies of Eminent Monks; even if there is confusion regarding conditions and objects, according to the Dharma there are also clear determinations, as in the chapter on "Upasampadā" in the preceding fascicle. As for the conditions of upasampadā in the Han territory: from the beginning with Emperor Ming of Han's dream at night, and since Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna transmitted the Dharma, down to the beginning of the Cao-Wei, the monastic assemblies flourished greatly, yet they had not received the refuges and precepts; they merely cut their hair to differ from the secular world and set up fasts and repentances, their practices resembling sacrificial rites. Later, there was the monk Dharmakāla from Central India—translated here as Fatime—who had memorized the Vinayas of various schools and arrived in Luoyang in the Jiaping era of the Wei; he established the karman method of upasampadā, which was the beginning of precepts and Vinaya in China; following the use of ten monks, he widely practiced the Buddhadharma, reformed former erratic practices, and produced the Mahāsāṃghika-prātimokṣa. There was also the śramaṇa Tan-di of the Parthian kingdom, who was also well-versed in Vinaya studies; he produced the Dharmaguptaka Karman, which was the beginning of the upasampadā method for fully ordained monks. The initial circumstances of the bhikṣuṇī upasampadā were: in the seventh year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, the śramaṇa Guṇavarman of Kashmir arrived in Yangzhou and translated sūtras such as the Bodhisattvabhūmi; later, eight nuns from the Lion Country (Sri Lanka) arrived and said: "In the land of Song there have never been nuns; how could ordination be received from both assemblies?" Guṇavarman said: "If a nun does not perform the root ritual, she obtains the precepts, but incurs an offense. Examining the Buddha's regulatory intent, the dharma originates from the fully ordained monks; so long as the assembly's ritual is accomplished, she naturally obtains the precepts. The reason she was previously ordered to perform the root ritual was precisely to generate her faithful mind as an expedient means for receiving the precepts; as for obtaining the precepts, it arises at the time of the monks' karman." The nuns earnestly begged to receive them again, and he answered: "Excellent! The grades of precepts, concentration, and wisdom go from subtle to manifest; if you wish to increase and clarify them, I rejoice exceedingly with you." He then instructed the Western nuns to learn the language, and sent again to India to invite nuns so as to complete the number of ten. In the tenth year of the Yuanjia era, there was Saṅghavarman—translated here as Zhongkai—who understood the Vinaya and the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya, and had personally traversed the shifting sands to Yangzhou. At first, Guṇavarman had granted the nuns' request to receive them again, but passed away before it was completed; soon afterward, Tessarā and two other nuns from the Lion Country reached the capital, making up the previous number of ten, whereupon they invited Saṅghavarman as teacher to administer upasampadā again to the nuns on the platform. This is recorded in the Biographies of Eminent Monks, Biographies of Famous Monks, History of the Saṃgha, Catalogue of Monks, and various records of the Jin and Song. Therefore, I briefly set forth the circumstances to serve forever as a mirror.