釋門章服儀 1.43

1.43

答：「無所不通，名為聖也。安有膠柱信度而為通照乎？諸律成衣，隨其豐儉，先其本制，後隨開給。如僧伽梨，欲創裁者，二十五條，四長一短以為基本；財少不足，以次減之，乃至九條；又少不足，乃至縵作，加縵受持，開如法服。揲葉、五納，例此可知。作安陀會，五條為本，割截成之；財少不足，揲葉、屈襵，一長一短；猶少不足，縵作受持。欝多羅者，二服之中，可三隅反也。是知至人靈鑒，權機莫思，依法而行，無非法行，背此妄作，自受凶終，可不誡乎？至於成衣之期，不許延日，隨時連合，趣得遮身，反刺直縫，新故殊制。故大衣制五日，不成結罪，餘之二衣，以類准犯。今有不肖之夫，情纏嗜好，自迷針縷，動必資人，但論刺作之纖媚，不計價功之高下。或有雇縫之直，倍於衣財，履歷孀荒，譏過斯負。通觀誠教，衣唯自縫，今則反之，罪由此起。有心行者，徙轍開蹤，當尋聖主之誡，又窺遺囑之旨，隨宜約略，即得依承，終歸大捨，未勞曲慮。所以陳如入般，乃在窮林；牧人貿衣，五文而已。自餘凡鄙，安可強乎？恥惡衣惡食，俗儒不行，況出有者，心懷此也。及成衣也，四周安緣，四角安揲，前鉤後紐，中條兩靡，障垢膩衣，揲於領背，竝出正量，如《事鈔》中。今作衣法，大如所論，鉤紐妄施，相量顛倒。《十誦》云：『去緣四指，前施鉤；去緣八指，後施紐。』良以用衣右角掩覆左肩，前鉤後紐，收束便易。《五分》明裙，左掩其上，如俗所傳左衽是也。今時行事，裙皆右掩，法衣披著，右角垂前，故迴背紐，前施八指，如律所約，象鼻著衣，正篇明犯，理須反迹。所以西來聖像，東土靈儀，衣在左肩，無垂髀膝，威儀不壞也。今則不爾，或有縫帶長垂，銀鉤現臆。金玉之飾，亂舉於蒙心；華俗之結，覶縷於道服。佛胸萬字，條條間施，在尼師壇，坐坐成罪。況復綾羅紗縠絲縷，已是蠶衣，文綵輕疎，約教彌成俗服。斯蓋竝乖正，則作者詳之。」

Answer: "To be all-pervading in understanding is what is called being a sage. How could one glue down the bridges of a zither to hold rigidly to a single measure and yet maintain all-pervading discernment? In the various Vinayas, the making of robes accommodates abundance and scarcity: first the original prescription is presented, and subsequently allowances are granted according to circumstances. For example, when one wishes to cut and make a saṃghāṭī from new material, twenty-five strips with four long panels and one short panel serve as the foundation. If material is scarce and insufficient, one reduces them in turn, down to nine strips. If it is still scarce and insufficient, one may even make it as an unpieced cloth, receive and uphold it with the formula for an unpieced cloth, and it is permitted as a Dharma robe. The folded robes and fivefold patched robes can be understood by this analogy. In making the antarvāsas, five strips are the standard, cut and sewn together. If material is scarce and insufficient, one may fold the cloth and crease it, with one long panel and one short panel. If it is still scarce and insufficient, one receives and upholds it as an unpieced cloth. The uttarāsaṅga, being intermediate between the two robes, can be inferred by analogy. Thus we know that the spiritual insight of the Perfect One adapts expediently beyond comprehension: practicing according to the Dharma, no practice is contrary to the Dharma; going against this and acting arbitrarily, one will bring about an ill end for oneself. How could one fail to take heed? As for the time limit for making a robe, extending the days is not permitted; one must piece it together according to the moment, seeking merely to cover the body, with backstitch or straight running stitch, there being distinct rules for new and old cloth. Thus, five days are prescribed for the great robe; if it is not completed, an offense is incurred. The other two robes are evaluated for offenses by analogy. Nowadays there are unworthy men whose sentiments are bound by personal attachments; unfamiliar with needle and thread themselves, every move requires hiring others. They merely discuss the delicate charm of the embroidery, disregarding how high or low the cost and labor are. In some cases, the wages for hired sewing are double the price of the robe material; frequenting the quarters of widows and abandoned places, they incur censure and fault. Examining the authentic teachings overall, robes must be sewn by oneself; nowadays this is reversed, and offenses arise from this. A practitioner of resolve, changing tracks and opening a new path, should seek the admonitions of the Holy Lord and examine the intent of his testamentary injunctions. Adapting simply to convenience, one may readily accord with them; ultimately returning to great renunciation, one need not labor over petty worries. Thus Ājñātakauṇḍinya entered parinirvāṇa in a desolate forest, and the shepherd traded his robe for a mere five coins. As for the rest of base and ordinary things, how could one insist upon them? To be ashamed of bad clothes and bad food is something secular Confucians do not do; how much less should those who have renounced worldly existence harbor such things in their minds! When the robe is completed, borders are affixed to the four perimeters, patches to the four corners, a hook in front and a loop in back, with the two central strips hanging downward, and a cloth to protect against grease and sweat patched onto the collar and back. All of these derive from standard measurements, as explained in the Commentary on the Vinaya (Xingshi chao). The present method of making robes generally follows what has been discussed, yet hooks and loops are improperly attached, their placements reversed. The Sarvāstivāda Vinaya states: 'Four fingerbreadths from the border, attach the hook in front; eight fingerbreadths from the border, attach the loop in back.' Truly, because the right corner of the robe is used to cover the left shoulder, having the hook in front and the loop in back makes fastening convenient and easy. The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya explains that the skirt overlaps on the left, just as secular tradition refers to 'overlapping to the left.' In modern practice, skirts all overlap to the right; when donning the Dharma robe, the right corner hangs down in front, so the back loop is moved and attached eight fingerbreadths in front. According to the restrictions of the Vinaya, wearing a robe like an elephant's trunk constitutes a distinct class of offense, so one ought properly to retrace one's steps. Therefore, holy images coming from the West and spiritual icons in the Eastern land have the robe upon the left shoulder, without hanging down over the thighs and knees, so that deportment is not compromised. Nowadays it is not so: some have long dangling sewn ribbons, or silver hooks exposed on the chest. Ornaments of gold and jade are haphazardly displayed over their dull minds; ornate secular knots are intricately woven onto their monastic robes. The svastika on the Buddha's chest is placed between strip after strip; used on a sitting mat, an offense is incurred at every sitting. Furthermore, thin and thick silks, gauzes, and silk threads are already garments derived from silkworms; their patterned colors are delicate and loose, so that judging by the teachings, they are all the more secular garments. These all go against the correct standard; let the makers examine this carefully."