四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 3
English (machine translation) 3
- Language
- English
3.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoxuan of Chongyi Monastery in the Capital
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Chapter 17: General and Specific [Rules] for the Two [Classes of] Robes
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Chapter 18: Receipt and Purification of the Four Medicines
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Chapter 19: Prohibitions and Allowances for Bowls and Utensils (Appended: Rules for Dwellings, the Five Activities, and Requisites and Implements for the Saṃgha)
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Chapter 20: Initiating Punishments in Regard to Offerings
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Chapter 21: Rules and Observances for the Dhūtas
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Chapter 22: Paying Respect to the Saṃgha and Images (Appended: Methods for Erecting Images and Monasteries)
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Chapter 23: Regulations for Funerals and Invitations
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Chapter 24: Methods for Guiding and Transforming the Laity
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Chapter 25: Mutual Treatment of Hosts and Guests (Appended: Rules for the Four Modes of Decorum)
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Chapter 26: Nursing the Sick and Conducting Funerals
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Chapter 27: Miscellaneous Essential Practices (Meaning the World-Transcending Right Occupations and Rules upon Which Bhikṣus Rely)
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Chapter 28: Specific Rules for Śrāmaṇeras
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Chapter 29: Specific Observances for the Bhikṣuṇī Saṃgha
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Chapter 30: Specific Observances of the Various Schools
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Chapter 17: General and Specific [Rules] for the Two [Classes of] Robes
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Now, for a physical form dwelling among worldly encumbrances, it must rely on decorum; for obstructing dust and defilement, nothing surpasses clothing. If using and receiving them is according to method, then faults and blame will not arise; if accepting and keeping them contravenes the model, one will inevitably fall into profound offenses. Therefore, first I divide generally into prohibitions and allowances, and later explain according to the headings. What is meant by prohibition? It means the three robes and six requisites, which the Buddha instituted and commanded to be kept; throughout his entire teaching, he instituted their wearing and using, and if violated, an offense is incurred. What is meant by allowance? It means the hundred and one robe fabrics, permitted according to need; whether adverse or favorable, there is no fault, accommodating the path and relieving deficiency. Concerning the first, it is divided into three: the three robes, the sitting mat, and the water strainer. Concerning the latter, it is divided into four: the hundred and one extra robes, rags from a dust heap, secular donations, and the robes of deceased members of the five assemblies, with their examples of light and heavy.
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Now explaining the first, prohibitions.
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First, clarifying the three robes, divided into two: first, clarifying the rules for robes; later, collecting the robes. The first is divided into four: 1. The intention behind the prohibition, explanation of names, and function. 2. The method of making robes. 3. The method of formally undertaking and keeping [robes]. 4. Miscellaneous selections and investigations.
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Regarding the rationale for the institution: The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: "Because of the desire to manifest an unprecedented teaching; none of all the ninety-six kinds of tīrthikas have these three names, so it is to distinguish [Buddhists] from the tīrthikas." The Fenbie gongde lun states: "Because of the three seasons, three robes were instituted: in winter one wears thick ones, in summer one wears light ones, and in spring one wears medium ones. It is also for the sake of the various insects." The Dà zhìdù lùn states: "The noble disciples of the Buddha abide in the Middle Way, hence they wear three robes; the tīrthikas go naked without shame, while laypeople are full of greed and wear heavy clothing." The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: "In order to distinguish them from tīrthikas, they cut them with a knife, so that people know they are the robes of those with shame." The Saṃyuktāgama states: "Those who cultivate the four immeasurables shave their hair and beard, don the three Dharma robes, and go forth from home." Judging by this designation, they are the attire of the compassionate. The Avataṃsaka-sūtra states: "Those who wear the kāṣāya relinquish the three poisons," and so forth. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "One who harbors the fetters should not put on the kāṣāya," and so forth. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā gives five rationales for instituting the three robes: First, a single robe cannot ward off cold, whereas three robes can ward it off; second, [with a single robe] one cannot maintain shame; third, it is not fit for entering a village; fourth, it goes so far that practicing the path will not generate wholesome states; fifth, the deportment (īryāpatha) will not be pure. Instituting the rule that one must keep three fulfills the above purposes. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "The three robes are the badge of the noble and worthy śramaṇas; the bowl is the vessel of the renunciant, not something used by worldly folk. One should hold and keep the three robes and the earthenware bowl, which means having few desires and few affairs," and so forth. The other schools outside our own mostly instituted the three on account of cold. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya also states: "Because the Tathāgatas of the three times all wore such robes."
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Next, explaining the names: The Ekottarikāgama states: "The robe worn by the Tathāgata is called a kāṣāya; that which he eats is called Dharma food." (This kāṣāya robe takes its name from its color; below it says it is dyed into a kāṣāya color, and among tastes there is a kāṣāya [astringent] taste. If judged by the translations in this land, they are generically called bedding/coverings [woju]; that is, among the thirty [niḥsargika-pāyattika rules], 'bedding' is the collective name for the three robes, as found in the text.) The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "It is permitted to make it by cutting with a knife, so that the śramaṇa's robe will not be plundered by robbers and thieves. One should make an antarvāsaka to wear next to the body; the uttarāsaṅga and saṃghāṭī are worn when entering villages." However, for these three names, the various vinayas have no direct translation. Here they are translated by their meaning. The Hui shang pusa jing states: "The five-strip robe is called the inner robe, the seven-strip robe is called the upper robe, and the great robe is called the robe for assembly gatherings." There are various translations according to meaning: The great robe is called the composite robe, because of its large number of strips; if classified by its function, it is called the robe for entering royal palaces and villages. The seven-strip robe is called the medium-value robe; by function it is the robe for entering the community. The five-strip robe is called the lower robe; by function it is the robe for walking the path and performing miscellaneous chores within the monastery grounds. If classified by the number of strips, they are designated nineteen, seventeen, down to nine strips, seven strips, five strips, and so forth. In the Vinaya there are no designations of five, seven, or nine; it only says antarvāsaka up to saṃghāṭī; people name them seven- or nine-strip robes. In terms of their general characteristics, there is also the unsegmented (mān) saṃghāṭī; thus according to one's capacity they are prepared, and according to use they are divided into three. They are not without a primary overall standard.
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Third, clarifying their functions and efficacy: The Dā bēi jīng states: "So long as their nature is that of a śramaṇa, even if they defile the conduct of a śramaṇa, if their outward form is that of a śramaṇa and they put on the kāṣāya, from Maitreya Buddha down to Ruci Buddha, they will attain entry into nirvāṇa without any exception." The Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka-sūtra states: "The Tathāgata made a vow before Ratnagarbha Buddha: 'When I attain Buddhahood, my kāṣāya will have five virtues: First, if among the fourfold assembly someone enters my teaching, commits a grave offense, holds wrong views, or the like, yet in a single thought generates a mind of reverence and veneration, they will surely receive a prediction in the three vehicles. Second, if heavenly beings, dragons, humans, or ghosts can show reverence to even a small portion of this person's kāṣāya, they will attain non-retrogression in the three vehicles. Third, if there are ghosts, spirits, or people who obtain even four inches of the kāṣāya, their food and drink will be abundant. Fourth, if sentient beings come into conflict with one another and recollect the power of the kāṣāya, a compassionate mind will immediately arise. Fifth, if one is in a military battle and holds a small portion of it with reverence and veneration, one will always be victorious over others. If my kāṣāya lacks these five powers, I would be deceiving the Buddhas of the ten directions.'" The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "If monks or nuns possess the virtue of the precepts, and laypeople ask for a torn fragment of a kāṣāya desiring to ward off disaster, one may give them a small piece," and so forth.
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Second, the methods for making robes, divided into eight sections.
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1. Seeking the material in accordance with the Dharma. That is, it must not be through the four wrong livelihoods or the five wrong livelihoods, nor through pursuing profit and trading; that which is so obtained does not constitute [a proper robe]. The Vinaya states: "Obtained through wrong livelihood, obtained through indirect hints, or obtained through bodily signs—[these] incur a niḥsargika-pāyattika offense, and the robe must not be made," and so forth.
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2. The material substance being in accordance [with the Dharma]. It must be thick, sturdy, well-processed, and dense. If it is fine, thin, raw, loose, patterned damask, brocade, gauze, sheer silk, or fine pongee, these are all illicit materials. The Vinaya states: "An embroidered robe does not constitute [a robe that can be] formally taken and held." The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "All raw, loose animal hair, tree-bark garments, grass garments, and leather garments do not constitute [robes]." The Wubai wen states: "Raw silk cannot be used to make it; but if it does not reveal the body, it is permissible, provided that the making conforms to the Dharma." The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "When dragons wear the kāṣāya, they are spared the disaster of the garuḍa birds; but if it does not accord with the teachings, what is worn will have no efficacy."
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3. The color being in accordance with the Dharma. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "One must not keep robes dyed with primary colors; they must be disfigured to a kāṣāya color (this means dyeing with an improper color, which has an exact translation); if one makes a five-patch robe (pāṃśukūla), it is permitted. Small scraps of primary colors cut to make a five-patch robe are also permitted." The Nirvāṇa-sūtra states: "It is permitted to receive clothing, leather, and so forth. Although one is permitted to keep various kinds of clothing, it must be of a disfigured color." The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: "One must not wear robes of the five pure colors: blue/green, yellow, red, white, or black, except for patched robes." The Prātimokṣa has three colors: blue/green, mud-color, and bark/brown. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: "Robes of the five primary colors do not constitute [proper material] for taking and making the three robes; they may be made into other robes to wear. The three-dot purification uses dark blue, black, or blue/green. Except for the three robes, other robes receive the three-dot purification. If one obtains black or magnolia-bark color, all may be received. Pure blue/green, light blue, cyan, etc., after dot-purification, may be used as robe linings; if red, white, or yellow are not pure primary colors, they are also permitted. If dyed with an unlawful color and then dyed over with a lawful color, taking and keeping it is valid. Kāṣāya means 'dyed' in Qin [Chinese]; just as the fetters of attachment and so forth are also termed 'defilement/dye'. True purple, sappanwood, rehmannia-yellow, wild-apple yellow, and flower-yellow are all unlawful." The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "Pure crimson, saffron-dye, safflower-dye, dark black, pure indigo-dye, and variegated floral colors are not permitted to be used; roots, leaves, flowers, tree bark, down to cow-dung juice and the like are permitted to be used." The Prātimokṣa specifies blue/green, black, and magnolia-bark color. Below, dyeing methods are explained at length. Blue/green refers to verdigris; black refers to mixed mud and the like; magnolia-bark refers to various fruit juices and the like. (The translators of this vinaya were in the north, where it was the magnolia-bark dyeing method; the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya was translated in the Wu region, where they did not see it.) In the commandery of Shu, I personally saw the bark of the magnolia-bark tree: it is a bright reddish-black, can be used for dyeing, has a slight fragrance, and is also used by some as incense, as stated in the Samantapāsādikā. As for the five colors mentioned in the Yijiao lüwei jing, that text is not an authentic canonical record, and only the ignorant use it. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "Whether blue/green, black, or magnolia-bark color, one may disfigure it with any of these colors as one pleases." The Samantapāsādikā states: "The 'ehi bhikṣu' had an earthenware bowl slung over his left shoulder, wore a blue/green kāṣāya, with a bright reddish tone (this corresponds to the magnolia-bark color)." If one sees a monk wearing robes of the five primary colors, a person of wisdom should say: "This is a monk who has lost his robes to thieves" (according to this, pure red is not permissible to receive). Based on the above Vinayas, treatises, and sūtras, pure colors are never permitted; they must be disfigured. If not disfigured, taking, keeping, and wearing them are invalid; wearing them incurs an offense as explained in "Conformity with Characteristics."
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4. Correctness and incorrectness of measurements. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "The antarvāsaka is four cubits long and two cubits wide; the uttarāsaṅga is five cubits long and three cubits wide; the saṃghāṭī is likewise." However, this lower robe turns out to be extremely narrow and small; one should take the general text of the Vinaya. The Vinaya states: "Measure the belly and eat; measure the body and dress; taking just enough is sufficient." According to this, there is no fixed measurement; it allows for adjustment according to the occasion. Even so, there must still be a standard; hence in the Daśādhyāya-vinaya and Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, three grades of measurement are respectively established. Now, according to the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā: if the medium three robes are five cubits long and three cubits wide, the maximum size is six cubits long and three and a half cubits wide, and the minimum size is four cubits long and two and a half cubits wide, they all accord with the Dharma. If they exceed or fall short, taking and keeping them is still valid, because they can be cut or pieced together. As for the bowl, if it exceeds or falls short, receiving it is invalid, because it cannot be cut or pieced together. If it exceeds the measurement, one should perform purification through declaration (śuddhi); if not, one commits a niḥsargika-pāyattika offense (the declaration should be done after receiving, because what is outside the Dharma robe is considered an extra robe). The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: "The length of a cubit is indeterminate; the Buddha instructed that it should accord with the proportions of one's body, not necessarily conforming to the standard cubit."
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5. The number of strips, whether many or few. Why they must be odd-numbered is as explained in the Commentary and the Manual. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "From nine strips up to nineteen strips, with five strips and ten compartments," and so forth. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: "Either five, seven, nine, eleven, or fifteen; if exceeding, it should be cut and made." The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: "The saṃghāṭī has three grades and nine [varieties of] strips: eleven and thirteen are the lower grade; fifteen, seventeen, and nineteen are the medium grade; twenty-one, twenty-three, and twenty-five strips are the upper grade." The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya reaches nineteen strips. It states: "If it further exceeds this, it should not be kept" (the character 'not' is a mistaken annotation). Nowadays there are thirty-three strips and so on, for which there is no authoritative teaching of prohibition or allowance. The Shengji ji states: "The Tathāgata wore a thirteen-strip great robe." The Dà zhìdù lùn states: "It was a coarse cloth saṃghāṭī." Taking this as a general standard, one prepares it according to one's capacity.
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6. The number of panels and their lengths. The text of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya is unclear. For the five-strip and seven-strip robes, it clearly specifies the fixed lengths, and the great robe is analogous. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: "For the great robe, the lower has two long and one short [panel per strip], the medium has three long and one short, and the upper has four long and one short; this is called making it in accordance with the Dharma. If one interchanges or alters their numbers, taking and keeping it is still valid, but wearing and using it incurs an offense." The reason why it must be cut into pieces: The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "So that it is not stripped by robbers and thieves." The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: "To distinguish it from the tīrthikas." In the Vinaya, the śramaṇa's robe has three kinds of lowliness: first, lowliness of the knife (meaning cut and ruined); second, lowliness of color (dyed with an improper color); third, lowliness of material (meaning picked from refuse and discarded by the world).
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Seventh: the number of layers. The Dharmaguptaka and other Vinayas state: 'They must not be thin and fine. The great robe has two layers, and the remaining two robes are each single-layered.' This refers to new ones. If old [cloth] is used, the Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: 'Use four layers to make the great robe, and two layers to make the seven-stripe and five-stripe robes, and so forth.' The Sarvāstivāda states: 'If new, the great robe has three layers: one layer of new and two layers of old.' The rest is as in the Daśādhyāya-vinaya. Therefore that Vinaya states: 'If one makes a great robe or a sitting mat with three layers, if one sews them together with new cloth, at the time of making it is a duṣkṛta; when exceeding the limit it is a pāyattika. If halfway through one repents and unstiches them, it is a duṣkṛta.' In the Vinaya, one may make a pāmśukūla robe with as many [layers] as one wishes. The Sarvāstivāda states: 'If one sews together the three robes in multiple layers, and should there be a circumstance where one separates them and travels with one to another place, this is termed not being apart from the robe overnight. If [the owner] dies, the former [opinion] says it remains within the original boundary, while the latter says it should be given to the caretaker of the sick; because originally it was a single robe and maintained under the same vow.' The Vinaya master says: 'The latter is the definitive view.'
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Eighth: the method for making the robes. Dharmaguptaka: The great robe and seven-stripe robe must be cut into sections; the five-stripe robe may have pleated folds. Mahāsāṃghika: If making a robe with others assisting and it is feared it cannot be completed in one day, one should make coarse stitches to finish quickly; after formally determining it, one then stitches it finely. The Madhyama-āgama states: 'The Bhagavat personally cut out the three robes for Aniruddha, and eight hundred bhikṣus joined them together simultaneously, whereupon they were completed.' Dharmaguptaka: If a bhikṣuṇī fails to finish the saṃghāṭī in five days, she incurs a pāyattika; a bhikṣu incurs a duṣkṛta. Sarvāstivāda: If, due to conditions, one obtains a piece of cotton cloth and designates it for making the three robes, one does not commit the offense of keeping an extra robe. If [the cloth] falls short of one robe beyond five cubits, or short of two robes beyond ten cubits, if there is an excess, one must declare it for purification. Dharmaguptaka: If one obtains an undivided robe whose width and length are sufficient, but if cut and tailored into a robe it would be deficient, he is ordered to make it with patched folds. If making a robe of five patched strips and one obtains a fragment of fine-colored cloth, it may also be cut to make the robe of five patched strips. Pañcavargika: If one dyes an undivided robe to make stripes, or stitches folds onto the robe (nowadays, patched folds are often sewn on), or pleats it to make folds (the Dharmaguptaka permits pleating the lower robe), or makes folds half facing upward and half facing downward, all are duṣkṛta. If one stitches onto the robe with multicolored threads where the stripes and panels are, this is a tīrthika practice and is a sthūlātyaya. Ānanda received instruction to make the robes for the bhikṣus: the left stripes lay to the left, the right stripes lay to the right, and the middle stripe's folds lay to both sides. If the cloth obtained is insufficient, one may make it with even one long and one short [panel]; if it is still too little, he is permitted to make it with patched folds; if still insufficient, he is permitted to make an undivided antarvāsa. Following this, originally it was a great robe, but due to insufficiency it is completed according to the lower precedent; the formal determining procedure properly accords with the two grades, and logically must be applied analogously; in the Daśādhyāya-vinaya, there is an undivided saṃghāṭī and so forth. Mahāsāṃghika: One must not paint the folds and stitch them edge to edge; one must cut them out to make the folds. At the widest they should be four fingers, and at the narrowest like a grain of wheat. Horizontal folds must not directly face each other. After sewing the folds of the robe, if the robe frays, one should make horse-tooth stitches; if the top or bottom of the robe tears, one should attach a border, which must be backstitched. In urgent circumstances, distinguish as stated before. If borrowing a layperson's quilt to make into one of the three robes, first purify it, attach the loop and fastener, and formally determine it. In the Daśādhyāya-vinaya, the Buddha personally taught the bhikṣus the method of attaching the loop and fastener: four fingers away from the border in front, attach the loop; eight fingers away from the border in back, attach the fastener; it should be made like this. According to this, it is because on the left shoulder, it is constantly covered by the right corner of the robe; this is from the Vinaya. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya also states: 'Backstitching is permitted by the Buddha and may be kept and used according to Dharma; straight stitching is not permitted, as it is the clothing of worldly people; this is to differ from the worldly and also to guard against tīrthikas.' It also states: 'If patching a robe with cloth of one or two feet, all must be backstitched; if straight-stitched, when the robe's owner passes away, this piece of cloth should be removed and given to the saṃgha and to the caretaker of the sick.' The Dharmaguptaka only mentions sewing the saṃghāṭī; one should apply the Daśādhyāya-vinaya by analogy. The Sanqian weiyi says: 'Patch the four corners of the three robes.' The Daśādhyāya-vinaya says the same. The Dharmaguptaka says to pull the corners straight and attach patches, etc. It also says: 'One should attach hooks and loops, and attach patches on the shoulder to block grime and sweat.' Daśādhyāya-vinaya: If a bhikṣu wearing pāmśukūla robes, because the Buddha prohibited entering villages without wearing a cut robe, then patches it to make borders and borders around it, the Buddha said: 'He should cut it immediately and attach patches above; it then counts as formally determined.' The clear text of the Daśādhyāya-vinaya permits wearing it to enter [villages]. According to this, for those poor and short of robes, entering the secular realm is definitely permitted.
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Third: explaining the procedure for formally determining robes. Within this there are two divisions: before another person, and by mental resolution.
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In the first: the Dharmaguptaka merely says that the three robes must be formally determined. If in doubt, one should relinquish them and determine them anew. If one possesses them without determining them, it is a duṣkṛta. But there is no recited text. Formerly, there were those who followed the method of the Mahāsāṃghika, but their protection of robes differed from the Dharmaguptaka (in the Mahāsāṃghika, it is valid throughout the whole night; in the Dharmaguptaka, it is only at the break of dawn). Now we rely on the Daśādhyāya-vinaya (because the marks of formal determination are similar). In the great robe, according to the number of stripes, there are the two differences of primary and secondary: the great robe has eighteen primary grades and six secondary grades. The seven-stripe robe has two primary grades and twenty-two secondary grades. The five-stripe robe has three primary grades and twenty-one secondary grades. Taken altogether, there are seventy-two kinds of the three robes. Undivided robes apply to all three positions, combined into one. The rest is as in the Commentary and Manual.
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Now first is the determining procedure. One should begin with the antarvāsa. This robe properly has three grades: cut, pleated, and patched folds. The formula for the determination says: 'Venerable One, mindfully pay heed! I, bhikṣu so-and-so, receive this robe as an antarvāsa, a five-stripe robe, with one long and one short [panel], holding it as a cut robe.' Or say: 'holding it as a pleated robe.' (If the patched folds are on the outside, appearing the same as cut sections, stitched on one side and open on the other, say): 'holding it as a patched-fold robe.' The rest is the same as the Daśādhyāya-vinaya (if both sides are sewn down, it is merely the same as an undivided robe). If speaking of the secondary ones (namely using the eighteen grades of the great robe, the two grades of the seven-stripe robe, etc.): 'Venerable One, mindfully pay heed! I, bhikṣu so-and-so, receive this antarvāsa as a twenty-five-stripe robe, with four long and one short [panels], holding it as a cut robe' (patched folds are treated analogously; up through the seven-stripe robe, its text is applied analogously with modifications). If it is an undivided robe (the above explanation of secondary robes was stated based on the antarvāsa; for the uttarāsaṅga and saṃghāṭī, all are modified analogously; for an undivided robe, the name is changed accordingly; here we proceed based on the great robe). The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: 'Venerable One, mindfully pay heed! I, bhikṣu so-and-so, receive and hold this undivided saṃghāṭī' (the other two robes are modified analogously). For the middle robe, say: 'Venerable One, mindfully pay heed! I, bhikṣu so-and-so, receive this robe as an uttarāsaṅga, a seven-stripe robe, with two long and one short [panels], holding it as a cut robe' (patched folds are modified analogously; for secondary robes, modify according to the preceding method). For the upper robe, say: 'I receive this saṃghāṭī of so-many stripes, with so-many long and so-many short [panels], holding it as a cut robe' (patched folds are applied analogously; because it covers nine grades and the stripes and panels differ, it is modified according to the robe, and hence not fixed; unlike the middle and lower robes, whose fewer characteristics are easily understood). The above explains the completion of determining the three robes. The Vinaya rules require all to be spoken three times. That Vinaya instructs before ordination: 'I, so-and-so, receive this robe as a saṃghāṭī of so-many stripes, whether cut or uncut, holding this robe.' Spoken three times. And so forth down to the antarvāsa (this 'uncut' refers to an undivided robe; if it were entirely uncut, how could it be brought in for ordination?). The Sarvāstivāda states: 'Robes of the five primary colors do not constitute a valid determination; thus the white cloth kāṣāyas of mourning monks and the like are contrary to the Dharma.' Following this analogy, where there are predominantly the four colors of black, blue, red, and yellow, without an excess of white, it is precisely as stated above that they do not constitute [valid robes]. Nowadays, people determine them based on ordinary worldly sentiments; this results in having no robe covering the body for an entire lifetime, and upon death bearing blame from the sages oneself. How could one not fear having a share in the evil destinies? How lamentable!
3.35
Next, explaining the procedure for relinquishment (applied following the Mahāsāṃghika, as the Dharmaguptaka has no text): 'Venerable One, mindfully pay heed! I, bhikṣu so-and-so, this saṃghāṭī is counted among my three robes; having previously determined and held it, I now relinquish it.' The other two robes are the same. Determining all at once or relinquishing all at once is a vinayātikrama. If a bhikṣuṇī determines the other two robes, the Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: 'Elder sister, mindfully pay heed! I, bhikṣuṇī so-and-so, determine this robe as a kuśūlaka, four cubits long and two and a half cubits wide, holding it as a kuśūlaka robe.' Spoken three times (analogous to the saṃkakṣikā; regional terms differ). 'I determine this robe as a shoulder-covering robe, four cubits long and two and a half cubits wide, holding it as a shoulder-covering robe.' Spoken three times (nowadays the form of the robe has been altered, unlike the original rule; merely stating 'made according to Dharma' without stating the cubit measurements should still be valid). The Mahāsāṃghika states: 'One should make a robe covering the shoulder, called a shoulder-covering robe; if not, it is an offense of transgression. For both robes being saṃkakṣikā, it is a pāyattika offense. A bhikṣuṇī's saṃkakṣikā is four of the Buddha's spans long and two spans wide; if it falls short or exceeds either, it is also a pāyattika. The five robes of a bhikṣuṇī are: the shoulder-covering robe, the bathing robe, and the three robes' (according to this, the schools differ; the Dharmaguptaka prescribes having the saṃkakṣikā, shoulder-covering robe, and so forth).
3.36
Second: explaining the procedure of mental resolution. Pañcavargika: A solitary-dwelling bhikṣu who needs to exchange any of the three robes should be fully composed in comportment, hold the robe in hand, formulate the thought in mind and say with the mouth: 'I, bhikṣu so-and-so, now relinquish this saṃghāṭī of so-many stripes.' After reciting this three times, he then determines the robe that is in excess, also with the previous deportment, saying: 'I, bhikṣu so-and-so, receive this robe as a saṃghāṭī of so-many stripes.' The other two robes are treated analogously.
3.37
Fourth: miscellaneous analyses, divided into three.
3.38
First, explaining the right and wrong of formal determination (adhitthāna) and relinquishment (paccuddharaṇa). The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: If one borrows a robe and stays overnight away from it, one only repents the pāyattika offense, but one must not relinquish the robe. In the Pañcavargika-vinaya, if bhikṣus do not relinquish a previously determined robe and further formally determine another robe, the determination is valid; if they perform the assignment of ownership (kappabindu) on the previous three robes, that is also permissible; but because they did not relinquish [the earlier one], it is a duṣkṛta. The Samantapāsādikā states: When one wishes to change the three robes and there is no person present to face, taking the robe in hand and declaring one’s own name succeeds; if one does not hold it and does not declare, it does not succeed. For all determined robes, although they become worn or torn, the determination is not lost. For the upper two robes, if a tear is within eight finger-widths of the broad edge, or within one span of the long edge, the determination is not lost; if torn elsewhere to the size of a little fingernail, the determination is lost; if horizontal threads remain, it is not lost. For the antarvāsaka, if torn within four finger-widths of the broad edge, or within one span of the long edge, it is not lost; if torn elsewhere, it is lost; after repairing it, one formally determines it anew. The Sarvāstivāda states: As long as the border (edge-binding) is severed, the determination is lost. The Samantapāsādikā states: If it is given to another, seized by thieves, lost, if one renounces the path, becomes a śrāmaṇera, relinquishes it, or stays overnight away from it, all are called losing [the determination] (loss due to tears is as above). In the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya: If one has the conception of loss, the road is cut off, or because of obstructive conditions, one loses the determination; it fully possesses the four impediments, dyeing, separation, mental intention, and boundary; whether it is lost or not lost, whether it is an offense or not an offense, are all as in the 'According to the Manifestations' chapter, as well as the Commentary and Sub-commentary. The Sarvāstivāda states: Although the three robes are not formally determined, passing a night carries no offense of being separated from the robes; there are the two offenses of ruining the īryāpatha and lacking robes (different from the Samantapāsādikā). If it was originally given in trust, and now one makes it into the three robes, it immediately loses its original trust. Furthermore, having relinquished this robe, one may determine another robe; the previous robe must be assigned to trust, otherwise one commits the offense of holding an extra robe.
3.39
Second, mending, washing, and dyeing. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: When patching a robe with small pieces of cloth, if one stitches back-and-forth, one need not perform assignment of trust or mark it; if one sews straight seams, each and every piece must be assigned in trust; otherwise, for each piece one incurs two offenses. The Vinayamātṛkā states: If an extra robe has not reached ten days and has not yet been assigned in trust, while a patched robe has already been assigned in trust, sewing [the extra cloth] onto the patched robe is permissible to keep. If the patched robe has not been assigned in trust, and one sews an already assigned robe onto the patched robe, this is called 'assigned by combination of robes,' which applies to both types of assignment procedures (the sewing in the text follows the back-and-forth stitching mentioned earlier). The Samantapāsādikā states: If a robe is about to break but not yet torn through, whether on one strip or two strips, if one first patches it with cloth and later cuts away the old part, one does not lose the determination. If the back of the kaṣāya is about to break, one should turn it to the two sides, first stitching them together to join them, then slitting it open with a knife, and afterward stitching the border; one does not lose the determination (in the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā, if the border is severed, it is immediately lost; follow whichever treatise according to preference). If a kaṣāya is excessively large and reduced, or excessively small and pieced together with cloth, the determination is in neither case lost. If upon washing, the color deepens, fades, or is dyed over, the determination is not lost in any of these cases. The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: If a robe is worn out and damaged, it is permitted to mend it, stitching back-and-forth with double thread; sewing straight seams is also permitted (the Daśādhyāya-vinaya does not allow straight sewing, so in principle one must insert a back-stitch every now and then). In the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya: If the three robes are damaged, one is permitted to apply patches, weaving the edges with double thread, patching according to the size and square or round shape of the hole; one must not patch a large hole with a small piece to make it shrink; one should patch and repair it when the hole is still small, up to two finger-widths wide. One ought to stretch it on a frame to mend it. The Vinaya commands early mending, which should follow the Samantapāsādikā. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā says that regardless of large or small, as long as the border is not severed, the determination is not lost. This statement is broad and general; adopting either causes no harm. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya says: If one worries that the sewn garment will be crooked, one snaps a line with red-ochre earth to align it. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: Clothing must always be clean and in accordance with the Dharma; if not, humans and non-humans will reprove one.
3.40
Third, wearing, using, carrying, and keeping. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: Guard the three robes as one’s own skin, and the alms bowl as one’s eyes. One wearing the great robe (saṃghāṭī) must not carry wood, stone, soil, or grass, sweep the ground, or spread bedding and sitting mats. One must not step on them with the feet, nor spread them over the bedding or seat, but wear them directly against the body. When entering a village, one must not let the robe drag; when far from the village, fold and carry it on the shoulder; near the village, if there is a pool of water, wash the hands and feet with water; if there is none, take grass or wood to wipe away dust and dirt, and only then fasten the robe with its ties and enter. If one encounters a speeding chariot or runaway horse, one should avoid them upwind. If there is mud, thorns, or a narrow path, one must not brush against them or force one's way through; if the gate is small, turn sideways; if it is low, bend the body. The Sutra on the Curing of Meditation Sickness states: Those repenting grave offenses take off the saṃghāṭī, wear the antarvāsaka, and perform hard labor for the saṃgha, even up to sweeping the stupa and removing excrement; when the eight hundred days are fulfilled, they wear the saṃghāṭī, enter the stupa, contemplate the images, and so forth. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: Wherever one goes, one goes together with robes and bowl, without yearning or attachment, just like a flying bird; if one enters a village or laypersons' quarters without carrying the three robes, one commits an offense. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya also states: A bhikṣu's three robes and bowl must always accompany his body; anyone violating this incurs an offense upon crossing the boundary, except when ill; one should revere the three robes with the thought of them being a stupa. The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: Carefully protect the three robes like the thin skin of the body; they must always accompany the body, like the feathers of a bird, accompanying it wherever it flies or runs. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: In travelling, know the proper time; do not travel at improper times; wherever one goes, be together with robes and bowl, just like a flying bird whose wings and feathers accompany it. All the schools consistently require them to accompany the body. Nowadays people only guard against being separated overnight, which does not accord with the teachings. The Vinayavibhāṣā states: Having received the kaṭhina robe, wearing one and draping one, one may enter a village and leave one robe behind. In the Dharmaguptaka robe rules, there are five conditions under which one may leave behind the saṃghāṭī: first, if there is fear or suspicion of danger; second, if it rains or there is suspicion that it will rain; third, managing the saṃghāṭī; fourth, washing and dyeing; fifth, securely storing it away. Entering a village, one must wear a pieced (cut-and-sewn) robe. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: If a patched robe has an open lattice design, one must cut and sew it before entering a village. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: One may borrow and wear a great robe to enter lay places. The Five Hundred Questions says: If one cannot wear the great robe to enter a village, but simply carries it on the shoulder while walking, there is no offense. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: When putting on or taking off the three robes, one must bring the robe close to the body, and only then take it off or put it on. One must not take off the park robe, wear only an inner garment, and then search for the village robe; one should first bring the village robe close to oneself, take off the park robe and put it away, and only then put on the village robe. After coming out of the village, one should bring the park robe close to oneself, shake out the village robe and place it in its regular spot, and then put on the park robe (this refers to the saṃghāṭī). Regarding the method for putting on inner garments, one must not take off the village inner garment and only then search for the park inner garment; taking off the park inner garment to put on the village inner garment is likewise. Also, one must not first put on the village inner garment and pull out the park inner garment from underneath; nor, having first put on the park inner garment, pull the village inner garment out; one should put it on from one side while removing it from the other; if one is not wearing it, fold and store it away. Because the wind blew the robes off, the rule was established that anyone entering a village must wear ties while walking; if there are none, fasten it with a pin; if there is no pin, at least hold it with the hand. If a robe lacks ties, entering house after house incurs a repentance for transgression of mind; if it has them but one does not fasten them, it is a transgression of the Vinaya. When draping the robe, one should drape it over both shoulders, with the ties aligning the two corners; when holding it with the left hand, the corner tips must not protrude from the hand like sheep ears. The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: One may also fold the great robe four times as a pillow. In many passages of the Madhyama Āgama, it says: Pillow on the great robe, and lie down in the seven-strip robe. It is also thus in the Mahāvibhāṣā. The Sutra of Three Thousand İryāpathas states: If not wearing the nivāsana, one must not wear the saṃkakṣikā; thus layer upon layer, up to the uppermost wearing of the saṃghāṭī (hence we know the three robes are worn layered from bottom to top). The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: A bhikṣu wore his robe inside out when entering a village; people were displeased upon seeing him, rebuking him: 'It is no different from an uncut robe!' The Bhagavat rebuked him and established an offense. When going out of or entering a village, if the robe is torn by thorny vegetation, soiled with dust and dirt blown by wind and rain into the folds, discolored by blazing sun, or soiled by birds, one is permitted, for the sake of protecting the robe, to wear it inside out outside the village. If the lower part of the robe easily wears out, one is permitted to wear the robe upside down, attaching loops, ties, and straps at both top and bottom; when it rains, one should not wear it upside down. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya agrees regarding wearing the robe inside out. The Sutra of Śāriputra’s Questions states: At first, baring the right shoulder was permitted for the sake of reverent service in handling affairs; later, draping the robe over both shoulders was permitted to display the appearance of a field of merit. In the Vinaya, only when going before the Buddha or an elder does one bare the right shoulder. In the sutra, draping the robe over both shoulders [irreverently] leads to falling into the Iron Armor Hell for five hundred lifetimes. The Three Thousand İryāpathas states: If there is no stupa or monastery, no bhikṣu saṃgha, in a place with thieves, or where the ruler of the country does not delight in the Dharma, going to that country without wearing the three robes is permitted. If the three robes are underneath while one’s body sits in a high place, it is not permitted. Determining correctly between the two divisions of Vinaya treatises: one wearing the great robe, upon entering a village and seeing teachers, fellow monks, elders, or other individuals, must not bow (because the place of reverence is honorable, one should verbally express one's intention). The Three Thousand İryāpathas states: Wearing the three robes, one must not face a Buddha stupa, elders, or the three teachers, nor turn one's back on them; one must not hold it in the mouth or shake it with both hands. The Vinaya states: One must not let the front corner of the three robes dangle. A commentary says: Not draping it over the shoulder, but letting it dangle in front of the arm and elbow (dangling over the arm is called 'elephant trunk'). The Five Hundred Questions says: When lacking a middle robe (uttarāsaṅga), one may wear the great robe to ascend the platform and make prostrations. When a lower robe is not touching the body and is clean, if one lacks a seven-strip robe, a five-strip robe may also be worn to enter the assembly for meals, prostrations, and so forth (based on this, seeing a stupa while on the road, one wearing only an undergarment must not make prostrations). Receiving food without wearing the three robes incurs a pāyattika. If one borrows another's three robes to wear, one must not cross the boundary and stay overnight; within the boundary, the number of days is not limited. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya also says: Eating without wearing the kaṣāya incurs an offense; it does not say 'the three robes'. The Pañcavargika-vinaya states: Having obtained a new robe, having a virtuous person wear it temporarily brings merit. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: One may beg for a small piece of cloth and give it to a layperson to avert disasters. The Saṃyukta Āgama states: The Buddha told them to take Ānanda's uttarāsaṅga and give it to the woman Vāsiṣṭhī to wear. The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish states: Because a lion revered a person wearing a kaṣāya, he attained Buddhahood.
3.41
Second, explaining the procedure for establishing the boundary for keeping robes. Its fifteen different natural boundaries for keeping robes are as set forth in the "Investigation of Specific Marks"; here I explain only the one made by adding a karman, the broad meaning of which is as found in the separate commentary on this manual. Now I explain it briefly: All great boundaries are generally of three types. If the boundary is large and there is no saṅghārāma, but only dwellings, then one must establish it; that is, outside the monastic courtyard but within the perimeter of influence, one may safeguard one's robes, whereas outside the perimeter of influence yet within the boundary, one cannot avoid losing [possession of] one's robes. Second, where the boundary is equal to the saṅghārāma, and where the boundary is smaller than the saṅghārāma: these two do not require establishing it; for once established, within the perimeter of influence outside the courtyard, it would conversely become a loss of robes. The various masters differ in how they set up the procedure; some set up a procedure for establishing it where there is no village. The present interpretation is that regardless of whether there is one or not, it must be established in all cases, because establishing it removes hindrances and difficulties. If there is a village, it is excluded at present and conditionally established [over the site] (so that when the village later departs, one may place robes wherever it departs); if there is no village, it is established at present and conditionally excluded (so that if a village exists in the future, one cannot place robes there; but if the village departs, it again encompasses it). This is because it was established beforehand. Loss of robes is solely due to defiling hindrances, mental hindrances, physical obstacles, or boundary hindrances; it is not that the arrival or departure of a village causes the robe boundary to expand or contract. This is the definitive doctrine, clearly attested in the texts of the Pañcavargika and other vinayas; adopt it according to your discernment. In the Sarvāstivāda, there are five reasons for exclusion: first, a village is unfixed, while the robe boundary is fixed; second, to eliminate slander; to eliminate disputes; to protect the brahma-practice, and so forth. In the Dharmaguptaka, when the robe boundary was first established, there was a village dwelling within the boundary; later, due to an incident, it was stated to exclude it. The formal procedure: "Let the venerable saṃgha listen! This place shares a single dwelling place and shares a single upoṣadha recitation. If the time has arrived for the saṃgha, and the saṃgha approves: establish a boundary of not losing robes, excluding villages and the boundary outside villages. This is the motion." "Let the venerable saṃgha listen! This place shares a single dwelling place and shares a single upoṣadha recitation. Now the saṃgha establishes a boundary of not losing robes, excluding villages and the boundary outside villages. Whichever elders approve that the saṃgha, at this place sharing a single dwelling place and sharing a single upoṣadha recitation, establish a boundary of not losing robes, excluding the boundary outside villages, remain silent; whoever does not approve, speak! The saṃgha has approved that at this place sharing a single dwelling place and sharing a single upoṣadha recitation, the establishment of the boundary of not losing robes, excluding villages and the boundary outside villages, is concluded. The saṃgha has approved, because of their silence. Thus do we hold this matter." The procedure for revoking the robe boundary (the vinaya states that one should first revoke the robe boundary and afterward revoke the great boundary; in the Daśādhyāya-vinaya, if one first revokes the great boundary, the robe boundary is also lost), the text states: "Let the venerable saṃgha listen! This dwelling place shares a single dwelling place and shares a single upoṣadha recitation. If the time has arrived for the saṃgha, and the saṃgha approves: now revoke the boundary of not losing robes. This is the motion." "Let the venerable saṃgha listen! This dwelling place shares a single dwelling place and shares a single upoṣadha recitation, revoking the boundary of not losing robes. Whichever elders approve that the saṃgha, sharing a single dwelling place and sharing a single upoṣadha recitation, revoke the boundary of not losing robes, remain silent; whoever does not approve, speak! The saṃgha has approved, sharing a single dwelling place and sharing a single upoṣadha recitation, that the revocation of the boundary of not losing robes is concluded. The saṃgha has approved, because of their silence. Thus do we hold this matter."
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- 四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 — Classical Chinese