四分比丘戒本疏 2.65

2.65

Precept thirty-four: Taking traveler's provisions in excess of three bowls. According to the Vinaya text, a married woman who wished to return home prepared travel provisions, but a monk begged excessively so that she could not return for a long time, causing her husband to abandon her. Furthermore, there were merchants preparing provisions on a journey, and a monk begged excessively, causing those merchants to fail to keep up with their companions and be robbed by bandits. Therefore, all these are traveler's provisions; merely whenever they are on the verge of traveling, taking in excess is an offence; illness is an exemption. Why must it strictly be a returning wife or merchants? When Nanshan states, 'Occurrences of this matter are rare, so I do not elaborate,' he is mistaken. Furthermore, according to the Vinaya text, from one monk up to five monks, there is sequentially a sense in which an offence is committed. For instance: if the first monk eats at that house, and after finishing eating brings back four bowls of food, the first person commits the offence. If this monk, after finishing eating, brings back three [bowls] to the saṅghārāma to divide and eat together, this person has not yet committed an offence. If there is a second person who wishes to go beg for food, the first monk tells the person going: 'I have finished eating and brought back three. If you go, only eat there; by all means do not bring any back.' Yet when he finishes eating, he intentionally brings back one; then the second person commits the offence. If the first person eats and brings two, and the second person eats and brings one, and they divide and eat them together, telling the third person: 'Go eat there; by all means do not bring any back,' and the third person eats and brings one, then the third person commits the offence. If the first person eats and brings one, and the second and third persons each eat and bring one, and they divide and eat them together, telling the fourth person: 'Go eat, do not bring any back,' and the fourth person eats and brings one, then the fourth person commits the offence. If the first person eats and does not bring any back, and the second, third, and fourth persons each go, eat, and each bring back one portion, and divide and eat them together, telling the fifth person: 'Go eat, do not bring any back,' and the fifth person brings an excess, then the fifth person commits the offence. However, according to the Vinaya text, if one brings back food exceeding the limit, as soon as both feet exit the door, one commits a prāyaścittika offence. Bringing three back to the monastery and not dividing them to eat is a duṣkṛta offence. As for the Prātimokṣa stating that not dividing is a prāyaścittika, that is an inexplicit teaching. According to the Vinaya, upon arriving at the donor's house, one should ask what kind of food it is.