四分律行事鈔資持記 1.55

1.55

第三例中。酬因曰報。言強弱者，或約男女二位，對下就制也。又男女中各分三根，對下約行也。所以不言重輕而言聽者，以重輕之言，不該約行，故以重聽通收二種。就制即止持，約行即作持。初中，準《戒疏》深防限分，各有通別。制四重，防三毒，即根本防。制種類，防四重，名深防。（此即通也。）又云：過犯未窮，預加重約；禁微防著，故曰深防。如尼觸犯夷等類。（等餘三重。約戒以論，即名別也。若飲虫水防殺畜；手搏防打，亦號深防；非此中意，以不對報故。）言限分者。指重緣心，以為下凡限分之制。（此即名通，通諸戒故。）又云：若就相論，可有修學，竝是限分；如漏失僧殘尼墮。（此為別也。又如僧中輒教尼等，及尼中四獨紡績一切不同之戒是也。）今此約報強弱，須從別論。（古記反破此解，請以《戒疏》為準。）約行者，山謂蘭若，即上根也；世謂聚落，即中下根也。然上士不獨居山，中下豈唯在聚！取其大約以處分機。初明山者，僧尼二眾，通行四依：一糞衣，二乞食，三樹下坐，四腐爛藥。（此上根也。尼樹下坐，但非蘭若。）二明世者。衣中，根報次者制三衣，又次者畜百一，又次者畜長，又次者被褥等重物，又次者聽眾寶莊嚴（此非常教，唯天須菩提耳。）；上準《戒疏》明五開，彼云：良由眾生根報不同，強弱不等，致令大聖方便開遮。（此五前強後弱，中間互通。）食中，開受僧別二請，僧常檀越送等。處開二房，藥開三種。（此四開中下機。）問：制行二位，強弱何分？答：制則強輕而弱重（強依限分，弱假深防。），行則強制而弱聽（強者堪耐，弱必隨開。）。

In the third paradigm, repaying the cause is called retribution. When speaking of "strong and weak," this is either according to the two positions of male and female, corresponding to the lower discussion on prohibitions; or, within male and female, each is divided into three capacities, corresponding to the lower discussion on practices. As for why it does not speak of "grave and light" but says "allowances," it is because the words "grave and light" do not cover practice; hence, "prohibitions and allowances" are used to encompass both. With respect to prohibition, it is restraint-maintenance; with respect to practice, it is action-maintenance. In the first part, according to the Precept Commentary, profound prevention and delimitations each have general and particular aspects. Prohibiting the four pārājikas to prevent the three poisons is the fundamental prevention. Prohibiting related categories to prevent the four pārājikas is called profound prevention. (This is general.) It also states: before a transgression is exhausted, adding severe restrictions in advance, banning subtle [faults] to prevent attachment, is called profound prevention. Such as a nun touching [a man], incurring a pārājika, and the like. (And so forth for the remaining three pārājikas. Discussed according to the precepts, this is called particular. If drinking water with insects prevents killing animals, and wrestling prevents striking, these are also called profound prevention; but they are not the meaning here, because they do not correspond to retribution.) As for "delimitations," it refers to the mind of repeated conditions serving as a rule of delimitation for ordinary mortals below. (This is general, because it applies to all precepts.) It also states: if discussed according to the marks, whatever can be trained in and studied are all delimitations; such as emissions of semen being a saṃghāvaśeṣa [for monks] and a pāyattika for nuns. (This is particular. Also such as monks rashly instructing nuns, etc., and the four solitary acts and spinning wool among nuns—all differing precepts are like this.) Now, here, regarding the strength and weakness of retribution, it must be discussed according to the particular. (Old records, conversely, refuted this explanation; please take the Precept Commentary as the standard.) Regarding practice, "mountains" refers to the araṇya, which is the superior capacity; "secular" refers to settlements, which are the middling and inferior capacities. However, superior persons do not dwell exclusively in the mountains, nor are the middling and inferior only in settlements! Taking the general idea, capacities are assigned by location. First, in explaining the mountains: for the two assemblies of monks and nuns, commonly practicing the four reliances: first, rag-robes; second, begging for food; third, sitting beneath trees; fourth, putrid medicine. (These are for superior capacities. For nuns sitting beneath trees, it is simply not in an araṇya.) Second, in explaining the secular: among robes, for those of the next capacity and retribution, three robes are prescribed; for the next, keeping one hundred and one articles; for the next, keeping surplus robes; for the next, heavy items such as quilts and mattresses; for the next, being permitted ornaments of various jewels. (This is not a general teaching, but only for Deva Subhūti.) The above relies on the Precept Commentary explaining the five exceptions. It says: Truly because sentient beings' capacities and retributions differ, and their strengths and weaknesses are unequal, it caused the Great Sage to make skillful exceptions and prohibitions. (Among these five, the earlier are strong and the later weak, with the intermediate ones mutually permeable.) Among food, exceptions are made for accepting monastic and individual invitations, regular saṃgha meals, donors delivering [food], and the like. For dwellings, exceptions are made for two types of rooms; for medicine, exceptions are made for three kinds. (These four exceptions are for middling and inferior capacities.) Question: Between the two positions of prohibition and practice, how are strong and weak distinguished? Answer: In prohibition, the strong are light while the weak are grave (the strong rely on delimitations, while the weak require profound prevention); in practice, the strong are prohibited while the weak are allowed (the strong can endure, while the weak must follow exceptions).