四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 3.374

3.374

Ninth, the rules for avoiding harmful animals. The Five Hundred Questions states: When lodging on the road in a house of ghosts and spirits, one must not have the intention to provoke or disturb them; giving rise to such an intention incurs a pāyattika. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: If a snake enters the room, whether containing it in a tube or tying it with a rope, one should release it and discard it. If troubled by rats entering the dwelling, one should startle them out, or make a trap to remove them. If troubled by scorpions, centipedes, or millipedes entering the room, wrap and hold them with a rag, a lump of mud, or a broom, and discard them; one should release them and not allow them to die. There is a method of snake incantations, but the text is extensive and is not cited here. If through window openings one is troubled by bats, swallows, or sparrows entering, weave an open lattice or install window bars. One must not pick lice in places where many people dwell; it is permissible to pick them and put them into a vessel, or into coarse wool, cotton, or a rag; if they crawl out, contain them in a tube, stopper the cover, and tie it inside the leg of a bed. However, the Vinaya does not clarify the method of keeping them alive; by analogy with the snakes and rats above, all should be taken outside and not allowed to die within; by analogy, they must be nurtured, otherwise it constitutes taking life. If a flock of birds cries out noisily, one should make a sound to startle them, or use a pellet bow, or strike the water to make them leave.