釋門章服儀 1.31

1.31

答：「如經律中通云壞色，故文云：『當以三種青、黑、木蘭，隨用一壞，成如法色。』良以習俗難改，貪愛叵除，戒律從緣，其相隨結，揲故在新、割廣歸狹等例是也。故五大上色，不成受持也。莫非隨事節心，捨於俗習，如世朱紫，非榮達則無服之異等例也。不正壞色，唯釋門所懷，別邪正也。故九十六種外道，其徒不倫，或裸或衣，或素或染，莫有定者。釋門不爾，俱服染衣，色非純上，絕於奢靡。然上明青、黑，名同五色，如論律中，似而非正；木蘭一染，此方有之，赤多黑少，若乾陀色。《經》云：『見我弟子被服赤色，謂呼是血』，《論》言『我著赤衣，映珠似肉』等是也。今有梵僧西來者，皆著此色。即其證也。然赤為正色，微有差殊，此土真緋，僧祇所斷。明知不正，即袈裟色也。由色外顯，容光易明，見色知人，是解脫者，如上已說。餘有雜染衣色，非正非上，即得加持，但離俗習，便成道相。故頭陀五納，水浣為淨，新衣壞色，故揲為淨。坐具初成，亦以故揲。引多文證者，莫不抑貪競之奢華，割封滯之生情者也。」

I answer: "As the sūtras and Vinayas universally state, it is 'discolored.' Thus the text says: 'One should use any one of the three kinds—blue-green, black, or mangrove-dye—to spoil [the color], making it a color according to the Dharma.' Truly, because worldly habits are hard to change and greedy attachment is impossible to eliminate, the precepts and Vinaya follow conditions, and their forms are established accordingly—examples such as patching the old onto the new, or cutting the wide to make it narrow, are of this sort. Therefore, robes of the five primary superior colors cannot be received and upheld. Is there any among these that does not discipline the mind according to circumstances and abandon worldly habits, just like worldly vermilion and purple, which are differences of attire not worn unless one is eminent and prosperous? Improper discolored cloth is cherished only within the Buddhist order, distinguishing the heterodox from the orthodox. Thus, among the ninety-six kinds of tīrthikas, their followers are diverse: some are naked and some clothed, some in white and some in dyed clothing, with none having a fixed norm. The Buddhist order is not like this: all wear dyed robes, the colors of which are not pure or superior, cutting off extravagance and luxury. Now, the blue-green and black mentioned above share their names with the five primary colors, but as described in the treatises and Vinayas, they resemble them without being the proper colors. The single dye of mangrove-dye exists in this region; it has more red and less black, resembling a gandharva-color. A sūtra says: 'Seeing my disciples wearing red color, they thought it was blood'; a treatise states: 'When I wore red robes, reflecting against pearls they resembled flesh,' and so on. At present, when Indian monks come from the west, they all wear this color; this is the proof of it. Now, red is a primary color, but with a slight difference; genuine scarlet in this land is prohibited by the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya. Clearly knowing that improper [color] is precisely the kāṣāya color. Because the color is manifested outwardly, its luster is easy to recognize; seeing the color, one knows the person to be a liberated one, as explained above. Other miscellaneous dyed robe colors that are neither primary nor superior may immediately receive adhiṣṭhāna; so long as they depart from worldly habits, they constitute the emblem of the Way. Therefore, the dhūta fivefold patched robe is washed with water to make it pure, and a new robe is discolored and patched with old cloth to make it pure. When a sitting mat is newly made, it is also patched with old cloth. In citing many textual proofs, none fail to suppress the extravagance of greed and competition, and sever the worldly feelings of clinging and attachment."