四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 3.317

3.317

Second, concerning selecting the persons: The Dharmaguptaka-vinaya states: If someone is sick, the upādhyāya, or one who shares the upādhyāya, the ācārya, or one who shares the ācārya, or a disciple, is permitted [to care for him], proceeding from the close to the distant. If there are none at all, the saṃgha should assign a caregiver. If [the assigned person] is unwilling, they should be assigned in sequential order; if still unwilling, they should be dealt with according to the Dharma. If there are no bhikṣus, śrāmaṇeras, or upāsakas, then bhikṣuṇīs, śikṣamāṇās, śrāmaṇerikās, and upāsikās, according to what can be done, should do it, but they must not touch the bhikṣu. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya and Daśādhyāya-vinaya state: The two masters, fellow students, roommates, and neighboring room occupants should be ordered to care for him, from the close to the distant. People should be assigned to go according to the number of patients. If they do not care [for them], the entire saṃgha commits an offense. The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya also states: If one encounters a sick bhikṣu on the road, one should seek a cart or mount to carry and bring him back; if the illness is grave and [the patient] cannot discern anything, it does not matter whether it is a female cow or a mare. If there are none, one should leave a person behind to watch [him]; if there is no one to watch, construct a grass hut, gather firewood and fire, leave medicine and food, and say to him: "Remain at peace; I will run toward the village to find a cart to fetch you." Then one leaves. When arriving at the village, one must not circumambulate the stūpa, inquire after the health of the upādhyāya, and so on; one should simply announce: "In the wilderness there is a sick bhikṣu; let us go together to fetch him." The bhikṣus may say: "That is a place with many tigers and wolves; we fear he has been devoured." Even upon hearing this, one cannot fail to go, but must reach [him]. If he has died, make offerings to the corpse; if alive, bring him back and dispatch bhikṣus in the village to make offerings. If there are no bhikṣus, inform dānapatis to have them look after him, and going together to receive the sick person is also as above. If one sees a sick bhikṣuṇī on the road, one must not abandon her; fetching and receiving her is as with a bhikṣu, except only for touching with the hands; one should hire a woman to massage her body. When she dies, use her robes and bowl to hire people to cremate her; if she has none, abandon [the corpse]; if laypeople find it offensive, one should carry it far away to dispose of it. The remaining three assemblies are modeled on this. These are all the Buddha's own commands, and in principle one should obediently practice them. The extensive details are as described in the Vinaya.