釋門章服儀 1.40

1.40

Answer: "It is truly as your question suggests. It is simply because changes arise from human feelings rather than considering the fundamental source. The original intent was to ward off the cold; single and loose fabric does not fulfill this purpose. According to the harmonized consensus of the various schools, the saṃghāṭī is solely double-layered, never single: if made of new cloth, it has two layers; if made of old cloth, four layers. As for the other two robes, both single and double layers are permitted; for rags from the dust heap sewn into a fivefold patched robe, the number of layers is not restricted. Nowadays, when making robes during the one month at the end of the summer retreat, monks merely count the quantity of skirts and cloaks, the thickness of shirts and jackets, the supreme quality of damasks and silks, and the freshness and beauty of boots and socks. As for that Dharma robe alone, they cast it aside and pay no heed. This is to prize what the three sages despise and to value what the nine schools disparage. To use this to affect worldly superiority—is it not lamentable? One should know that the perfuming of ingrained habits forms seeds in the mind. If one disdains what the sages revere, one will continually disdain it life after life; if one reveres what ordinary people disdain, one will continually revere it life after life. How can one open and guide the spiritual repository and anticipate the call of 'Come, monk'?"