俱舍論疏 11.83

11.83

The treatise says: "When the sun moves across this continent [...] the day gradually increases." This explains the increase and decrease of day and night. Generally speaking, in discussing the increase or decrease of night and day, there are two meanings: First, once the night has become shorter than the day, it is called the increase of day; once the day has become shorter than the night, it is called the increase of night. If one takes this meaning, then after the autumnal equinox is the increase of night, and after the vernal equinox is called the increase of day. Second, from this point in time onward the night gradually grows longer—that is, the second day is longer than the first day and so forth—which is called the increase of night; the increase of day is the reverse of this. If one relies on this meaning, then from the summer solstice onward is called the increase of night, and from the winter solstice onward is called the increase of day. Question: Which of these increases and decreases is explained by this treatise? Answer: In accordance with the treatise, which states, "When the sun moves across this continent southward or northward, night increases or day increases respectively"—that is, after the summer solstice until the winter solstice, the night increases; after the winter solstice until the summer solstice, the day increases. Fascicle 136 of the Vibhāṣā states: "However, the increase and decrease of day and night oppose each other; though each has two periods, they do not possess four distinct phases. Day and night increase or decrease by one lava each, which amounts to one muhūrta [over thirty days], and thirty muhūrtas make one day and night. Among them, the quantities of day and night fall into four different classes: the phase of increase is at most no longer than eighteen [muhūrtas]; the phase of decrease is at shortest only twelve; and the phase of equality for day and night is fifteen each. That is, on the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika, day and night each have fifteen muhūrtas; from this point onward, day decreases and night increases." Explanation: In the Western Regions, the dark fortnight comes first and the bright fortnight comes second. Kārttika is the eighth month in this land [China]. If one takes the sixteenth day of the seventh month of this land as the beginning of the month, the bright fortnight corresponds to the eighth day of the eighth month of this land; if one takes the sixteenth day of the eighth month of this land as the beginning of the month, the bright fortnight corresponds to the eighth day of the ninth month of this land. The time of equal day and night corresponds to the fifteenth day of the eighth month of this land, because after the eighth day, the day decreases and the night increases. This also refers to the solar terms of months and days, not the lunar phase dates of the new moon and the end of the month, because on those dates of the new moon and end of the month, the increase and decrease of day and night are not fixed. If day and night are equal on the eighth day of the eighth month in this land, the solar term in the Western Regions is seven days earlier than in this land; if day and night are equal on the eighth day of the ninth month in this land, the solar term in the Western Regions is twenty-three days later than in this land. In accordance with the diameter of the Cakravāḍa mountains being 1,200,875 yojanas, one roughly calculates the distance between the Western Continent and the Southern Continent as 300,000 yojanas. The solar terms of the Southern Continent differ, being calculated as having a ninety-day difference. This country is not forty or fifty thousand li away from that country, so a difference of seven days in solar terms does not conflict; if there were a difference of twenty-three days, in principle it would create too great a separation. One should definitely take the sixteenth day of the seventh month as the beginning of the month of Kārttika. Furthermore, the Vibhāṣā says: "Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, the night has sixteen muhūrtas and the day fourteen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Pauṣa, the night has seventeen and the day thirteen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha, the night has eighteen and the day twelve. From this point onward, night decreases and day increases by one lava each. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Phālguna, the night has seventeen and the day has thirteen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Caitra, the night has sixteen and the day has fourteen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Vaiśākha (this corresponds to the eighth day of the second month in this land; it also says that from this point onward night decreases and day increases), day and night each have fifteen. From this point onward night decreases and day increases by one lava each. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Jyaiṣṭha, the night has fourteen and the day has sixteen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Āṣāḍha, the night has thirteen and the day has seventeen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Śrāvaṇa (this corresponds to the eighth day of the fifth month in this land), the night has twelve and the day eighteen. From this point onward day decreases and night increases by one lava each. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhādrapada, the night has thirteen and the day seventeen. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Āśvayuja, the night has fourteen and the day sixteen. Reaching once again the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika (corresponding to the eighth day of the eighth month in this land, and the twenty-third day of the eighth month in the Western Regions), day and night are equal. This is called a brief exposition of the divisions of time." In accordance with the treatise passage above, when the sun moves northward for six months, the night decreases; when moving southward for six months, the night increases. However, indicating the increase and decrease of day and night, it speaks of four points: Reaching the eighth of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika, day and night each have fifteen muhūrtas. After this, it says again that from this point onward day decreases and night increases (this corresponds to the ninth day of the eighth month in this land, and the twenty-fourth day of the eighth month in the Western Regions). Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha, the night is eighteen and the day twelve muhūrtas (corresponding to the eleventh month in this land), which is the longest night. After this, it also says that from this point onward night decreases and day increases. Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Vaiśākha, day and night each have fifteen muhūrtas. After this, it also says that from this point onward night decreases and day increases (corresponding to the ninth day of the second month in this land). Reaching the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Śrāvaṇa, the night has twelve and the day eighteen (this corresponds to the eighth day of the fifth month in this land, and the twenty-third day of the fifth month in the Western Regions); after this, it also says that from this point onward day decreases and night increases, which corresponds to the ninth day. When this treatise states, "Because the paths taken by the sun as it travels across this continent differ, the day and night therefore have decrease and increase," this corresponds to the Vibhāṣā saying, "However, the increase and decrease of day and night oppose each other; though each has two periods, they do not possess four distinct phases." The treatise says, "From the ninth day of the second half of the second month of the rainy season, the night gradually increases"; this describes both the ninth day of the fifth month and the ninth day of the eighth month, none of which contradicts what is said in the Vibhāṣā, because after the eighth day of this rainy season, it says in all cases that from then on the day decreases and the night increases. In accordance with this text of the treatise, regarding the ninth day of the fifth month, the Vibhāṣā calls it the bright fortnight, whereas this treatise calls it the latter half; therefore, we know that the beginning of the second month is indeed the sixteenth day of the fourth month, and the beginning of the first month is indeed the sixteenth day of the third month. The treatise says, "From the ninth day of the second half of the fourth month of the cold season, the night gradually decreases"; this describes both the ninth day of the eleventh month and the ninth day of the second month, none of which contradicts what is said in the Vibhāṣā, because after the eighth day of these two months, it says in all cases that from then on the night decreases and the day increases. In accordance with this text of the treatise, because the sun moves southward, the night increases and the day decreases; hence it says 'the second half'. The Vibhāṣā calls it the bright fortnight; therefore, we know that this is the ninth day of the eleventh month in this land, when the night is at its longest. If one takes the fifth month as the second month of the rainy season, then the sixteenth day of the fourth month in this land is the beginning of the second month of the rainy season, which differs from the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya, since the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya takes the sixteenth day of the fourth month as the first month of the rainy season. If one takes the eighth month as the second month of the rainy season, then the sixteenth day of the sixth month in this land is the beginning of the first month of the rainy season. If one takes the eleventh month as the fourth month of the cold season, then the sixteenth day of the seventh month in this land is the beginning of the cold season, which differs from the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya. If one takes the second month as the fourth month of the cold season, then the sixteenth day of the tenth month is the beginning of the cold season; neither contradicts the text of the Vibhāṣā. However, adapting this to align with the seasons of this land, one should take the sixteenth day of the sixth month as the beginning of the rainy season, because after the beginning of autumn in this land there is much rain. The Tang Tripiṭaka Master [Xuanzang] took the sixteenth day of the third month as the beginning of the rainy season, adopting the ninth day of the fifth month for the increase of night, which also does not contradict the Vibhāṣā. However, Master Tai's explanation, taking the sixteenth day of the sixth month as the beginning of the rainy season, adopts the ninth day of the latter half of the eighth month for the increase of night, which likewise does not contradict the Vibhāṣā. Relying on the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya and other texts, taking the sixteenth day of the fourth month as the beginning of the rainy season, this was an error made by translators who mistakenly took the sixteenth day of the fifth month in this land as the beginning of the second month of the rainy season, taking the fifteen days preceding the sixth month in this land as the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the fifth month. It can also be reconciled by saying: The Vibhāṣā belongs to the country of Kaśmīra, whereas the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya does not belong to the Sarvāstivāda school, but to another country; because cold and heat differ, there is a divergence of two months, and hence they are not the same. The Xiyu Ji states: "There are also countries that take the twelfth month as the rainy season, because it rains heavily in winter in those countries." In the Vibhāṣā, both the ninth day of the bright fortnight of the fifth month and of the eighth month are said to have an increase of night; the Kośa merely states that when the sun travels southward the night increases, which corresponds to the ninth day of the bright fortnight of the fifth month in the Vibhāṣā. Now, interpreting the ninth day of the bright fortnight of the second month of the rainy season in the Kośa, it is definitively taken to be the ninth day of the fifth month in this land. However, the Vibhāṣā in all cases speaks of the increase and decrease of day and night on the eighth day of the bright fortnight, whereas in this land the fifteenth day is always taken as the winter solstice and summer solstice. The vernal and autumnal equinoxes are likewise the dates of the solar terms, which is why they differ. The solar terms proceed from west to east; because the sun moves from west to east, the south is summer, the west is autumn, the north is winter, and the east is spring. In the south, night is extremely short; in the north, night is extremely long; in the east and west, day and night are equal.