四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 3.237

3.237

Seventh, dwelling in an araṇya: The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa calls it a place of seclusion. The closest is three li; the further, the better. Other miscellaneous practices are as found in the sixty-eighth fascicle. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: "An empty and quiet place is five hundred bow-lengths away from a village. A bow is four cubits long, using the measure of a medium cubit; thus one cubit is one chi and eight cun long, and six chi make a pace; accumulating these yields a certain number of li." In the Central Kingdom (India), monasteries for monks are all outside the city, while monasteries for nuns are inside the city. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: "Circumambulating Jetavana, tigers roar; this monastery is one thousand two hundred paces south of the city of Śrāvastī." The Sarvāstivāda states: "It is one krośa away from a village (translated here as the sound of a drum)." This means that an araṇya is an untroubled and quiet place where the sound of drums from the village cannot be heard, for fear of disturbing the meditating bhikṣus. As for the two kinds of araṇya regarding saṃgha and clothing, they are explained as above. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: "An araṇya bhikṣu must not disparage a village bhikṣu; he should praise him, saying: 'You reside in the village, expounding the Dharma and transforming beings, acting as a protector of the Dharma and sheltering us.' A village bhikṣu must not disparage an araṇya bhikṣu, saying: 'You seek fame and gain, living among birds and beasts, from morning till night, for only a few years'; he should praise him, saying: 'Far from the village, you reflect in a peaceful and quiet place, honored by the highest practice; this is indeed a place of difficult practice, and you are able to dwell here to calm the mind.'"