釋門章服儀 1.9

1.9

I instructed him again, saying: 'Originally, when the Way prospered in the world below, its guiding principle was singular. In principle, it disperses confusions and purifies the mind of burdens; in practice, it manifests auspicious signs in visible forms. Indeed, the true Way is profound and vast, not glimpsed throughout long kalpas; yet the spiritual lineage is manifest and clear, looked up to by all conscious beings. Thus one knows that the Deer Park was the initial opening, and the Twin Sāla Trees were the final term. The pattern for guiding and saving the world was initiated, and the traces of its glorious radiance were brilliantly shown. The distinction of shaving the head and dyeing the robes changes the ingrained habits of worldly custom; the decorum of proper measurements and standards must be sought deeply in correct rules. Furthermore, the four Āgamas and eight Piṭakas can hardly be fully searched; yet how can one remain confused about a single set of three robes? Since these are the constant duties of the Buddhist order, experienced at all times, their meaning is not an idle survival, and the practice accords with the true teaching. Thus, that the Dharma abides for ten thousand years is solely reliant on the efficacy of outward form and robes; that the three sages transcend worldly existence is entirely inherited from the work of previous cultivators.' Now I shall briefly set forth ten chapters for you; arranged chapter by chapter, they strive to illuminate the traces of the past: