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Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.1895 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

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Text

1.1

Preface to the Newly Carved Regulations for Distributing Light and Heavy Property

Determining the disposition of a deceased monastic's robes and personal property is exceedingly difficult, for the holy teachings are vast and the sectarian traditions diverge. Even past ancestral masters could not be free of hesitation; how much less could those of shallow learning and scant hearing fully comprehend it? For this reason, our venerable ancestor, Great Master Fahui of Nanshan, collected the grand purports of the various Vinayas, established a great model for a single school, and authored the Regulations for Distributing Light and Heavy Property to bequeath to later generations. Its text is resplendent like the light of the sun and moon, and in its determinations of light and heavy property, nothing is left unexhausted. Therefore, successive generations have prized it as a clear mirror. How wonderful that recently there has been Vinaya Master Jōshun of Jiuhou Peak, a great whale in the ocean of Vinaya; lamenting deeply that although the book survived, its transmission in the world was not widely spread, he collated and carved it into printing blocks to circulate it. This autumn, being together at the Radiant Mantra gathering at Saidai-ji in Nara, I suddenly came across the finished work. Raising it to my head in reverence and opening it with incense, I sighed and said: "Regarding this scripture, since it was first transmitted to our land by the former Vinaya Master Jianzhen roughly a thousand years ago, it has never been heard to have been printed. In our present time falling into the course of the final Dharma age, observing this single elevation of it, can it not be called a great fortune for our school?" Master Shun urged me to write a preface. Amidst my leaping joy I did not firmly decline, and straightway put forward humble words to express a bit of rejoicing. May those who take pleasure in studying the precepts circulate and transmit it widely, far reaching the Nāgapuṣpa [Assembly], all relying on this text to determine light and heavy property, together following the single path. So said the pure practitioner.

1.3

Time:

1.4

The fifth year of Jōkyō, the year being wuchen, mid-autumn, on the morning of the full moon, respectfully written by Bhikṣu Jikō Emon, descendant of the Perfect Vinaya School of Mount Zhongnan, at the Huayan Abbot's Quarters of Mount Asahi north of the capital.

1.5

Compiled and prefaced by Śākya Daoxuan, surviving monk of the Divine Land, in the eleventh year of Zhenguan of the Tang (reorganized in the second year of Qianfeng).

1.6

The preface states: Formerly, when I was in the imperial capital, I traveled widely among the lecture halls. Toward profound texts and hidden meanings, I vigorously and devotedly sought the abstruse, and tasted much of pure exposition. I considered light and heavy property to be essential, yet when applying it to affairs and meeting circumstances, most people followed their own subjective inclinations. Searching widely for clear evidence, no scriptural authority could be relied upon. Vinaya Master Shou, whom I had previously taken as my authority, possessed unique insight and transcendent illumination, outshining antiquity and eclipsing the present; his commentaries accumulated like mountains, and students surged like clouds. He brought together the splendor of the five Vinayas and broadly revealed what lay beyond diverse views; yet when applied to practical matters, it was vast and difficult to demarcate. Students could only gaze at the cliff and search for a path, unable to penetrate what they revered.

1.7

I once asked for the resolution of this essential matter, to directly decide what was right without doubt. He then told me: "Lecturing is a broad and comprehensive understanding; how could it be restricted to a single view to effect salvation? It is like a plan for one's own person and a strategy for the state—truly the two cannot both be fulfilled." Moreover, because receiving the precepts extends across the various Vinayas while depending on particular forms with their partial deficiencies, if one restricts oneself to a single text, the diverse explanations will not flow. I then beat my breast and sighed in solitude: learning is fundamentally meant to restrain oneself and encompass others; now, if one becomes obscured in resolving blockages over a minor matter, how can one be called widely knowledgeable or capable of broadly saving worldly people through responsive teachings? Yet the various Vinayas, in treating observance and transgression, mutually assert what is right and wrong; and regarding the light and heavy categories of property, there are many that rely on appraisal.

1.8

However, if one restricts them to the essence of the precepts, contentious disputes naturally melt away. Now, in this Divine Land, the Dharmaguptaka is universally used (formerly the Mahāsāṃghika was used in Guanzhong, and the Sarvāstivāda has long been used in Jiangbiao; yet when administering the ordination rituals, most use the Dharmaguptaka karman). Taking this Vinaya as fundamental, if one searches and gathers the established texts of the various Vinayas, what matter will not be detailed? What meaning will not be decided? Thereupon I pruned and supplemented the old texts and composed the Shichao. Although its forms and marks were harmonious and its textual evidence clear, I still feared its application was not comprehensive, and that it was necessary to circulate it widely for sight and hearing.

1.9

In the fourth year of Zhenguan of the Great Tang, filled with indignation outside the Passes, I traveled in four directions seeking different views. Those who transmitted their opinions mostly combined the Vinayas and recited formulas while clinging to the letter; in Heyang, they relied on commentaries to determine judgements, with multiplying words and trivial talk entangled like colliding chariots. There was Vinaya Master Li of Weijun, who was an eminent talent of the region, composing texts and commentaries, walking alone east of the mountains. I therefore went to attend on him, asking for resolution of my doubts and blockages. Yet he was bound to the text and relied on conceptual matching; his speech was so dense it was ultimately submerged. Scholars clung to phrases waiting for them to melt away, while outside listeners opened the chapters and ceased all thinking. He also found light and heavy property difficult to determine, and separately recorded commentary passages; but the order was confused and redundant, and the affairs and principles mixed and disorderly. This was merely the wisdom of one corner, still not universally applicable for shared practice.

1.10

Now, based on the previous old commentary, and further citing what has been heard, I categorize and summarize the types of matters, recording them as a separate work, entitled Regulations for Distributing Light and Heavy Property. Originally, heavy property and light property are both intended for supporting the Way; the Way resides in empty penetration, its meaning not rigidly confined, and it is because of relying on the saṅgha's benefit that such property is acquired. Therefore, after one's life ends, it returns and is surrendered to the saṅgha, so that the two saṅghas enjoy the resources for use (referring to the permanent and present saṅghas both bearing the benefits of light and heavy property), and the two types of donors have the nourishment of flowing blessings (referring to the sevenfold assembly of monastics and laity both practicing giving to the saṅgha). Therefore, it is generally judged as surrendered to the saṅgha, not belonging to the Buddha or Dharma; and calculating that it all enters the saṅgha is also universally beneficial in principle. Yet the saṅgha has the difference of permanent and present, and property also has the two distinctions of light and heavy. Thus in the Vinaya, the Buddha judged that property all enters the saṅgha, but when discussing practical matters, he unfolded the two distinctions. Following this restriction of meaning, determination is clearly required; thus, the reason I thoroughly dissect and resolve light and heavy property is that if light and heavy are stated conversely, two biased views arise. The Vinaya text makes definitive judgments and does not allow the fivefold assembly [to err], yet careful inquiry has been lacking. Merely because categories of property are difficult to encompass, the various Vinayas have mutual gaps, and existing accumulations are not fully recorded in the teachings, people apply text to matters haphazardly and indulge their own thoughts. Since the property is manifest, its meaning must be resolutely settled; yet since ancient times, transmissions have been merely rough outlines, and successive handings down have treated practical affairs with confusion, more distant than the Milky Way.

1.11

I always hesitated at this path without proceeding, but once in the leisure of correcting my practice I turned my thoughts to consider it. Aligning the teachings with practical circumstances, I gained a slight knowledge of the pathway. Yet among the masters dealing with practical matters, those who thoroughly comprehend are few; they establish procedures according to their own views, and finding clear evidence for determining the six kinds of light and heavy property is also difficult. Now, I merely adopt one definitive judgement to connect the various explanations. Taking our own Vinaya as standard, I search for texts from beginning to end. Where the text is obscure or manifest without clear adjudication, I consult all the Vinayas to settle it by analogy and achieve completion. I hope that the categories will be comprehensively gathered and the items made orderly, so as to provide freedom from vexation and address practical needs. The intention is to universally gather goods for supporting life, collect all utensils of the assembly, resolve the fault of hesitation according to practical matters, and determine the procedures for light and heavy property on the spot. Grasping the object and examining the text without looking at another's face, adapting to circumstances as smoothly as turning a loom, it will be as easy as pointing to one's palm.

1.12

I hope that those who cherish the Way will occasionally open and examine it; it will suffice to prevent committing extreme penalties and remove long-standing deep confusions. However, human sentiments are narrow and suspicious, and entanglements are not lacking: those managing affairs favor the permanent property and drag light property into heavy, while individual monastics selfishly seek their own benefit and drag heavy property into light. Overturning and confusing their darkened minds, this serves as a stern warning throughout all antiquity (such as hearing that six hundred bolts of silk were classified as heavy property, while folding screens were classified as light property). Renunciants who rely on the Way must exert their minds even more; base and shallow worldly sentiments must long have been cast aside. Moreover, regarding peripheral and border regions, China and foreign lands, rituals, forms, and utensils, as customs are different, the names of objects are also distinct. If all are judged by analogy, knowing that light and heavy are naturally distinguished, and if one surveys from beginning to end, it will suffice as a mirror and a model.

1.13

The Shanbu xingshi chao in three fascicles that I composed is divided into upper, middle, and lower sections, with thirty different chapters and over two hundred thousand words. If it is the regulations of the saṅgha and the essentials for maintaining the Dharma, their main head is in the upper section and upper fascicle; if it is the varieties of receiving the precepts, observance and transgression, and repentance rituals, their names and essences are complete in the middle section and middle fascicle; if it is robes, medicine, vikalpanā, and the practical operations of various practices, their details are manifest in the lower section and lower fascicle. Therefore, I briefly cite them in general so that the outline is roughly known; now, relying on the lower fascicle regarding the robe regulations, I uniquely explain the six objects, roughly dividing them into ten sections.

1.14

First, the section on the intention behind assignment to the saṅgha (goods arise from the benefit of the saṅgha and have not yet reached the Buddha or Dharma; how could kings or relatives rashly expect to take them in?).

1.15

Second, the section on distinctions in distribution methods (discussing affairs according to conditions, there are ten different determinations; only in the tenth case, of one who dies while cohabiting, is the ritual act applied).

1.16

Third, the section on common livelihood and shared property (property giving rise to unrighteousness often harbors base sentiments; only during the period of life and death is this determination matched).

1.17

Fourth, the section on whether entrustment is valid (if one makes a firm decision to give away, it must straightway be handed over; if doubts are not settled, it is definitely gathered by the single saṅgha).

1.18

Fifth, the section on repaying or rejecting debts (returning debts with interest follows the light or heavy nature of the principal; if there is no clear proof, the principle requires thorough investigation).

1.19

Sixth, the section on determining light and heavy property (the characteristics of light and heavy property are profoundly difficult to differentiate; the slightest error incurs dual faults).

1.20

Seventh, the section on the time and place for distributing property (only when returning from the funeral can appraisal take place; if there are circumstances that intervene, it is designated in another place).

1.21

Eighth, the section on examining virtue and rewarding labor (if there is labor without reward, compassion is cut off; if the virtueless have a windfall, the principle requires examination and rejection).

1.22

Ninth, the section on directly distributing light and heavy property (when both persons and property are assembled, the holy Dharma must be followed; distribute according to the teachings, without selling or exchanging).

1.23

Tenth, the section on whom property belongs to (whether one is entitled to receive it or not, it ultimately belongs to the saṅgha; even if managed externally, it must be provided and awaited in advance).

1.24

These ten determinations are provisionally laid out in rough outline, yet under the sixth section the threads are not single. In the Vinaya, all items are listed together and as a rule all are surrendered to the saṅgha; later, a few items are mentioned separately to distinguish the characteristics of light property. This means that for categories of property there are also two determinations; light and heavy can be known according to principle, and traditional transmissions determining them according to principle are also one way of assistance. However, searching quickly in the Vinaya text, collateral citations intersect, so that later sharp minds and earlier masters still harbored anxieties; for beginners who are submerged, doubts and hindrances are difficult, and ultimately do not help in timely needs, hence I have pruned them. If one desires to understand the grounds of conditions, as fully clarified below, both delusion and awakening will be cleared, and beginning and end will both be illuminated. Therefore, earlier [parts] follow the root Vinaya as the Buddha determined it, taking categories by practical matters and appending lateral citations. Appraising according to affairs will suffice as a clear mirror.

1.25

Whenever holding the responsibility of appraisal and allocation, the essential pattern for division is: first strike the chime to gather the saṅgha; next collect all the present property; list other heavy and large utensils in ledgers item by item, and read them aloud before the assembly so that what is apparent and hidden is known. First ask about shared property and common livelihood, judging according to credibility; next ask whether there is entrustment, also judging according to circumstances; finally ask who is in debt, and also examine and hand it over. Only after performing these three procedures is the present property determined; the rest is as in the root Shichao.

1.26

The root Vinaya states: At that time, a monk of Śrāvastī who had many acquaintances died. He had many saṅghārāmas; much fields, orchards, and fruit trees belonging to saṅghārāmas; many private rooms; many items belonging to private rooms; many bronze vases, bronze basins, axes, chisels, and lampstands; many heavy items; many rope-beds, wooden beds, sleeping mats, and sitting cushions; and kept many eraṇḍaka, maura, maumaura, and blankets; many people guarding the saṅghārāmas; many carts and carriages; many wash pitchers, monk's staffs, and fans; many iron utensils, ceramic utensils, leather utensils, bamboo utensils, wooden utensils, and razors; and many robes, pātras, niṣīdanas, and needle cases. The monks did not know what to do and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha said: "Whether with many acquaintances or without acquaintances, everything belongs to the saṅgha." (The Vinaya text is like this. Basing judgements on characteristics distinguishes thirteen items; now following the above list, each item is explained in full, all as listed below).

1.27

First: Having many saṅghārāmas. The Vinaya determines this as classified as heavy property. Basing on the categories below, they are also judged the same as above. (Up to items belonging to the saṅghārāma below, they are generally judged as classified as heavy property.) This refers to privately owned small monasteries, estates, houses, shops, and the like.

1.28

Second: Having much fields, orchards, and fruit trees belonging to saṅghārāmas. The Vinaya determines this as classified as heavy property. Basing on the categories below, all follow this by analogy. This refers to all gardens, fields, fruits, vegetables, grains, and rice, assembly utensils, and provisions for livelihood both inside and outside the monastery (there are seven such categories).

1.29

1. Vegetables grown in gardens and plots (of which there are four categories): First are the five types of living seeds currently planted: 1. Root seeds (such as radish, ginger, and taro). 2. Stem seeds (namely pomegranate, willow, and vegetables). 3. Joint seeds (namely basil, smartweed, celery, and the like). 4. Miscellaneous seeds (sugarcane, bamboo, silvergrass, and reed). 5. Seed seeds (such as coriander and perilla). Second are picked vegetables: namely the kinds among the five living [seed types] above (that is, bundles of mallow, heaps of vegetables, and so forth), as well as remaining twigs, pods, bran, husks, and the like. Third are seeds saved for storage: namely radish seeds, turnip seeds, sweet basil, coriander, smartweed, mallow seeds, and the like, in various bags and sacks. Fourth are tools for tending gardens: namely shovels, spades, hoes, pickaxes, rakes, scrapers, and irrigation equipment like waterwheels, wedges, wellsweeps, and miscellaneous implements.

1.30

2. Trees planted with the five fruits (of which there are three categories): First are the five fruits currently on the trees: namely shelled fruits (namely walnuts, chestnuts, and the like), skin fruits (namely pears, crabapples, apples, papayas, and the like), pit fruits (namely peaches, apricots, jujubes, persimmons, and the like), pod fruits (various beans from mountains and wetlands), and husk fruits (pine nuts, cypress seeds, and the like). Second are harvested fruits: namely dried jujubes, pears, plums, apricots, persimmons, mandarins, oranges, Chinese quinces, bitter oranges, chestnuts, pomelos, and the like (as well as various gourds and melons produced by creeping vines). Third are tree branches, bark, and shells: namely miscellaneous elements such as the branches and leaves of various fruit trees.

1.31

3. Farm crops and planting (of which there are four categories): First are tools for wet and dry fields: namely plows, harrows, rollers, seed drills, plowshares, hoes, blades, cutting tools, rakes, forks, handles, winnowing fans, winnowing baskets, and the like. Second are the five grains currently planted: namely chambered grains (that is, foxtail millet, glutinous millet, and the like), scattered grains (that is, panicled millet, broomcorn millet, and the like), podded grains (various beans and sesame), awned grains (such as rice and wheat), and husked grains (such as hemp and perilla). Third are the five grains harvested from the ground: namely harvested foxtail millet, panicled millet, glutinous millet, broomcorn millet, hemp, barley, large and small beans, wheat, and the like (the "seventeen kinds of grain" in the Mahāsāṃghika also covers all grains generally). Fourth are stalks, artemisia, and the like: namely all artemisia grass, beanstalks, hemp stalks, rice straw, millet chaff, pods, chaff, and the like.

1.32

4. Granaries and storage (of which there are two categories): First are the repositories for storage: namely storehouses, granaries, round granaries, bins, cellars, kitchens, storage chests, boxes, hampers, trunks, pecks, bushels, cases, dou-measures, yu-measures, and cauldrons. Second are instruments of standard measurement: namely bushels, pecks, pints, gills, cases, tally sticks, feet, inches, steelyards, balances, and the like.

1.33

5. Utensils for preparing food (of which there are three categories): First are utensils for processing raw food: namely water- and land-powered roller mills, pestles, mills, winnowing fans, sifters, and the like, along with the sheds covering them. Second are utensils for cooking food: namely caldrons, cauldrons, kettles, pots, basins, steamers, pans, and the like, as well as side tables, stools, racks, shelves, cake molds, and miscellaneous implements. Third are utensils for containing food: namely large earthenware jars, small jars, vats, urns, platters, bowls, pātras, dishes, lampstands, boxes, spoons, and ladles.

1.34

6. The five cooked preparations on hand: 1. Steamed foods. 2. Boiled foods. 3. Roasted foods. 4. Grilled foods. 5. Baked foods (all refer to soups, rice, and wheat pastries, which by type require these five preparations).

1.35

7. The four medicines on hand: namely, 1. Timely medicine (rice, flour, paste, fermented soybeans, yeast, and vegetables). 2. Untimely medicine (clear fruit juices). 3. Seven-day medicine (ghee, honey, oil, and fats). 4. Lifetime medicine (salt, vinegar, pepper, ginger, the five minerals, the three [types of ginger], and the like).

1.36

The preceding seven items, being original staples and their derivatives, are determined according to the Vinaya and based on principle to be classified as permanent property. This is all because storing them up breeds strong personal attachment, invites ugly criticism, and taints one inside and out with defilement; nothing exceeds this. Therefore, the Vinayamātṛkā states: "As for privately owned small monasteries, orchards, halls, chambers, jars, and basins—the necessities of life—the present saṅgha may not divide them; they belong to the saṅgha of the four directions (that is, permanent property)." As for utensils for food preparation, their types are exceedingly numerous; one should simply collect them together and set limits. Their sizes are as listed in the Sarvāstivāda [Vinaya]; different Vinayas cannot be conflated. Regarding wooden vessels, the Mahāsāṃghika states: "Wooden jars, wooden basins, bamboo baskets, and bamboo hampers are all classified as heavy property." Furthermore, according to other schools, one relies on size limits. For instance, in the Sarvāstivāda, all vessels of two dou and above are classified as heavy property, because they are cumbersome to carry. The remaining text will explain this further below. As for food ready for consumption, the *Matṛkā* states: "If one dies after food has been invited in the saṅgha, it is divided like robes (according to the rule for heavy property); if one obtains food after death, it returns to its original place." The same applies to receiving robes donated by others. If there is a surplus of the remaining three medicines, they are divided as explained below. The treatises speak of dividing complete beds, which is an exceptional allowance of a particular school; this is not the fitting teaching for our capacity, as will be broadly explained below.

1.37

Third, where there are individual quarters, the Vinaya rules that they are surrendered to the permanent saṅgha. If there are timbers, stones, or money for quarters, they are judged as explained below.

1.38

The above refers to inside and outside the monastery, in villages, forests, and wilderness: if someone personally begged for or had others build various large and small rooms belonging exclusively to himself, the Buddha permitted him to use them. If the original owner dies, they are transferred and surrendered to the permanent property. If the monastery's regulation is to distribute rooms periodically according to the teaching, retaining them is also permissible. If there are unworked or worked timber, bricks, tiles, quarried stone, straw, earth, fixtures for rooms, and goods intended as payment for constructing rooms (silk, cloth, coins, grain), they are all distributed and allocated as light or heavy property according to the actual goods present. This is because while the person is alive, the goods have an authentic owner and can be restricted according to his words; once he is dead, there are other owners, and things cannot remain as before.

1.39

Fourth, things that largely belong to individual rooms are judged by the Vinaya as classified as heavy property. Their categories and precedents are distinguished below.

1.40

These refer to windows, doors, blinds, and partitions; poles, crossbeams, shelves, and racks; wall hooks, dragon-tooth pegs, room curtains, and bed canopies; ceiling covers, wall draperies, beds, tables, and the like.

1.41

The preceding items, evaluated by principle, are all collected as heavy property. Because they were originally intended to be fixed fixtures not admitting midcourse alterations, they are surrendered to the permanent property. If, because the earthen walls have collapsed or doors and windows are exposed, one temporarily hangs cloth or silk curtains as partitions and must later dismantle them upon repair, they do not fall under this category.

1.42

Fifth, where there are copper jars, copper basins, axes, chisels, and lampstands, the Vinaya text classifies them all as heavy property. However, as jars and basins are practical necessities, their sizes were not clarified (as in the two earlier determinations).

1.43

The preceding utensils refer to those made of copper, iron, wood, earthenware, and so forth. According to the Sarvāstivāda, all copper items must not be distributed, except for caldrons and jars of two dou and below, which may be distributed, and up to meditation blocks and the like, which may be distributed; the rest must not be distributed. In this [Dharmaguptaka] Vinaya, jars and basins are simply classified as heavy property without specifying the dou capacity. Consequently, present-day tradition judges them all as classified as heavy property. In my view, jars and basins are practical necessities and essential requirements; nuns are permitted to keep them through vikalpanā, whereas monks may store or renounce them as they please. If all are gathered under light property, the matter becomes overly broad; it is better to follow the clear determination of the Sarvāstivāda, so that both positions are harmonized, as will be explained later. Standardizing dry measures, balances, and linear measures according to the original system of the Ji-Zhou dynasty allows for common use throughout both the central and peripheral realms, a standard left unchanged by a hundred kings. Therefore, the *Miscellaneous Ordinances of the Great Tang* states: "For the foot, one foot and two inches makes one foot; dry measures and balances are established across two forms and three grades." Even where the Vinayas and treatises clarify the capacity of utensils, both point to three Qin dou as standard. Thus we know that ancient standards are hard to alter because models remain constant. Formerly, He Chengtian of the Eastern Jin, well-versed in astronomical calendars and apocrypha, extensively categorized the constellations. He evaluated with Dharma Master Huiyan the distinction between central and peripheral positions and the gradations of solar shadows in the calendar. Master Yan said: "The center of the Middle Kingdom is the center of Jambudvīpa. It is more than one hundred thousand li from the sea in all four directions; therefore, on the day of the summer solstice there, the sun is directly overhead and casts no shadow. This land of ours lies along the fringe of the sea; how can it be spoken of in the same breath? Thus even in Luoyang—the center of the Red County—there is still a residual shadow on that date. Therefore the *Hetu* says: 'Five thousand li southeast of Mount Kunlun, it is named the Divine Land and also called the Red County.' Since it says 'southeast,' it is clearly not the center. Furthermore, feet and inches are used in common here and there, and the sundial and water clock do not differ by a hair's breadth. As for constellation degrees and measurements, they are practiced throughout the land; if one were to alter the foot according to region, the celestial phenomena would become confused." (And so forth.) Chengtian had no response to counter him. Therefore, examining the authentic records, we apply them to present practice. Moreover, the *Sarvāstivāda Treatise* says: "The Buddha was sixteen feet tall," and ordinary people are half that, which our local books call "an eight-foot body." Thus the *Prātimokṣa* states that the Buddha's robe was nine Buddha-spans long and six spans wide. The *Mahīśāsaka* says that one span of the Tathāgata equals two feet in this land. Taking this as the ratio and multiplying it, the length is twelve feet. A person's robe today is six feet long, which is five Tang feet; calculated in this way, it is as clear as pointing to one's palm. Formerly, Emperor Yang of the Sui extensively researched the classics and established weights and measures strictly in accordance with the Zhou era; I personally saw them in use, and they matched brilliantly. Therefore ancient custom records that six feet make a pace; in the origin of capacity, gui and chao come first; in the very beginning of length, hu and si take precedence; in the origin of weight, grains and leishu come first. All have clear evidence; one should not be lax or arbitrary.

1.44

Sixth, where there are many heavy items, the Vinaya rules that they are classified as heavy property. (The sense is that the term is narrow while the items are broad, with multiple types. The chapters above and below are readily apparent from their characteristics; the miscellaneous details here are difficult to make obvious, yet depending on functional necessity, a few are classified as light property. Thus they are differentiated broadly across various headings.) There are eight types (to which secular utensils are added by principle).

1.45

First are the implements for making robes (of which there are five categories): First are utensils for finishing robes: namely stretching frames, robe beds, and sewing boards, as well as red ochre, orpiment, marking lines, and cords for pattern measurements. Second are utensils for cutting robes: namely cutting boards, trimming knives, scissors, whetstones, and cloth-pounding mallets and stones. Third are loom utensils for making cloth: namely looms and weaving wheels for damask, gauze, brocade, patterned silk, pongee, spun silk, hemp cloth, cords, bands, and ropes. Fourth are implements for spinning: namely spinning wheels, spinning hampers, warp frames, shuttles, weft winders, and such gear. Fifth are implements for reeling silk: namely silk-reeling frames, light swifts, silkworm trays, frames, and the like.

1.46

Although the purpose of the above five items is light, the physical items are cumbersome and heavy, difficult to transport at a moment's notice. Moreover, they are secondary accessories along the path and not intimately necessary; hence they are all classified as heavy property. Within the second category, there is a slightly light aspect: for example, trimming knives and scissors are permitted by the Buddha to be kept, encompassing both large and small sizes, which can be judged according to the scriptures. Those with a four-inch blade, whether with handles of iron, wood, horn, or bone, fall under light property. If they exceed this measure, or if any of the above knives are adorned with gold and jewels, even if the blade is only an inch, they are classified as heavy property on account of the precious materials. Regarding the size of whetstones, there is no text in the Vinayas or treatises. If it constantly accompanies the knife as an accessory, it is classified as light property.

1.47

Second are utensils for personal comfort and appreciation: namely curved armrests, knee-support cushions, leaning boards, resting bolsters, ruyi scepters, fly-whisks of various tails, spittoons, and the like.

1.48

The preceding single item encompasses goods superior and inferior, whose actual nature is worldly and superficial. Judged not to be requisites for cultivating the Way, they should be classified as heavy property; the cases, boxes, and cloth covers that accompany them are treated likewise.

1.49

Third are requisites for curing illness (of which there are three categories): First are medical instruments for acupuncture and moxibustion, lancing horns, mallets, and rods—utensils for treating disease. Second are books of prescriptions, pharmacopeias, acupuncture charts, meridian guides, and medicinal formulas. Third are the four medicines prescribed for illness, as named above. The other three medicines are classified as heavy property as stated above; regarding lifetime medicine, it will be properly determined below.

1.50

The three items above are essential for sustaining the body. They are not perpetually maintained; rather, when one is ill, they are required. As for the first: medical tools such as lancets and iron implements are generally permitted by the Vinaya texts. Since they are small, fine, and suited to the occasion, by analogy with nasal instillation tubes and the like in the Sarvāstivāda, they are classified as light property. The remaining medicine tubes, medicine boxes, and various containers follow their classification and are distributed accordingly. As for the second: various recipe books and materia medica are mundane practices and should be classified as heavy property. Among the lifetime medicines, those that have not yet been pounded and prepared are classified as heavy. If they have already been pounded and mixed into decoctions, pills, salves, or boiled extracts, thus altering the original characteristics of the medicine, as well as remnants left over after consumption, these are genuinely not luxuries; in accordance with the Mahāsāṃghika, they should be classified as light property and distributed.

1.51

Fourth: Internal and external scriptures and texts (there are five categories).

1.52

First, scriptures of the internal teachings (referring to all expositions transmitted and set forth to eliminate mental illnesses. Although the mind pertains to both, considering signs and relying on conditions, it resides solely within; therefore, what is provided for salvation is termed the internal teachings. That is to say, among all the matters expounded, none is not intended to dispel blemishes of the mind).

1.53

First, scriptures from the Central Country, referring to palm-leaf scriptures from the Central Country, and the six distinctions of paper and silk translations in this land (first, single translations; second, re-translations; third, lost translations; fourth, miscellaneous records; fifth, suspect scriptures; sixth, spurious citations). Second, compilations of this land (referring to works since the eastward transmission of the Buddhadharma, where various worthy monastics and laypeople disseminated teachings, whether composing treatise catalogs or composing praises and biographies, all of which, though not original intent, are classified together as scriptures, as explained in the Dazhidu lun; such as Kumārajīva's Reality, Sengyou's Fayuan, King Wenxuan's Jingzhuzi, Emperor Jianwen of Liang's Fabao lianbi, and so forth). Third, miscellaneous records of both lands (referring to monastics and laypeople of both lands who comprehended the scriptures and explicated the treatises, each setting forth their intended words to interpret scriptural meanings, including all their commentaries and subcommentaries; or accounts transmitting noted and virtuous eminent monks of both lands, the presence or absence of sacred traces, the decline and prosperity of maintenance, travel journals, biographies, and so forth). Fourth, implements intended for copying scriptures (referring to paper, ink, brushes, inkstones, desks, tables, armrests, rulers, paper-treating and ruling implements, book-mounting covers, scroll rollers, and so forth). Fifth, containers holding scriptures (referring to cabinets, boxes, hampers, chests, cases, desks, shelves, bookracks, wrappers, bags, scarves, kerchiefs, and so forth).

1.54

The five items above, the maxims of the scriptures and texts, are precisely the ford and path for entering the Way, the ultimate endeavors for deliverance. If one does not practice and study them, comprehending them from beginning to end, mastering their key points, and awakening to their entryways, then though boats and carts vie to be loaded, if one does not embark, they are ultimately not vessels of deliverance. Though the guidelines of the teachings are set forth, if one does not understand them, one vainly squanders luminous times. Therefore, one must constantly read and investigate, perusing their principles and meanings; they may be kept in mind, with no expectation of their classification as heavy property. Thus the Vinayamātṛkā says that if the scriptures and vinaya had a prior entrustment, they are delivered to that person; if there was no entrusted person, they are given to whoever can uphold them, and that person should advance and practice in accordance with the teachings, not merely guard and protect them. Thus the treatise says that the Buddhadharma values practice as taught, not much reading and reciting. People today often greedily hoard them without the intention to drink and absorb them; such people are not suited to what is entrusted, and they must be given to virtuous persons. If there remain remnants of brushes, ink, paper, silk, and so forth, as well as containers holding scriptures that originally had no other use, they should be used in their original place; wherever the scriptures and texts reside, offerings must be fully provided. For those not definitively assigned, they are divided between the two saṅghas according to whether the matter is light or heavy. If one accumulated much paper and ink merely intended for livelihood and not originally for scriptural use, it should be classified as heavy property.

1.55

Second, external mundane records (referring to all annals and biographies, which all attend to external existence: above, complying with Heaven and revering Earth, rectifying the state and transforming the people; in the middle, serving parents with filial piety, establishing oneself and practicing the Way; below, managing and defending the six viscera, with the five elements fully provided. If sought on the basis of affairs, none is not a scheme for the self; even if one lives at leisure in forests and marshes, none is not for nourishing life; therefore they are called external texts).

1.56

First, the historical records of the nine lineages (the nine lineages are: first, Daoism; second, Confucianism; third, the School of Names; fourth, Legalism; fifth, Mohism; sixth, the School of Coalitions; seventh, the School of Yin-Yang; eighth, the Agricultural School; ninth, the Eclectic School), namely the Six Classics and apocrypha, the various philosophers, historical biographies, miscellaneous discourses, literary records, and so forth. Second, character dictionaries of the three antiquities (referring to the ancient script of the Sancang, seal, large seal, clerical, regular, and cursive calligraphic traces, and so forth). Third, containers holding texts (namely those listed above under internal scriptures, along with remaining paper, brushes, ink, inkstones, and so forth).

1.57

The three items above are all determined to be classified as heavy property. Although temporarily permitted to be studied in order to block mundane criticism, they are ultimately not for prolonged study; therefore they are relinquished and surrendered to the saṅgha. If paper and ink remain, they may serve tasks of the Way, but because the original intent pertained to mundane matters, differing from the previous clause, they all follow the precedent of heavy property. The explicit prohibition in the scriptures and vinaya is because they ornament verse and hymn, delighting in worldly dharmas.

1.58

Third, counting and calculation implements (there are two categories). First, existing calculating implements (referring to blindfolds for astronomical observation, surveyor's levels, square rules, balance scales, counting rods, and so forth). Second, counting methods using miscellaneous beads (referring to crystal, lapis lazuli, multicolored beads, and so forth; or beads made of bamboo, wood, clay, porcelain, stone, wooden spools, Job's tears, and so forth).

1.59

The two items above are needed for counting and calculation. Although their substance is entirely heavy property, they are capable of serving the tasks of the Way. In the Vinaya, for those who do not yet understand numbers and forget or make errors when reciting the precepts, keeping counting rods is permitted. As for strings of wooden beads and treasures made of multicolored imitation jewels, if evaluated by the Mahāsāṃghika's rule that 'all precious items are classified as heavy,' the text would encompass both genuine and imitation. Now, if we seek what is truly essential to the faculties according to situational conditions, nothing surpasses counting methods for receiving and guiding those of inferior capacities, prompting and assigning them to cultivate practice. By analogy with the Upāliparipṛcchā-ṭīkā's rule that 'imitation gems, spurious gems, and multicolored beads are permitted as articles among the one hundred and one items,' if used in accordance with the Dharma, they should be determined to be classified as light property. The remaining wooden, bamboo, and other items are distributed by analogy with this.

1.60

Fifth, various musical implements (there are four categories). First, the music of the eight tones (first, metal music, referring to bells, chimes, and so forth; second, stone music, referring to chime stones and so forth; third, string music, referring to zithers, harps, and so forth; fourth, bamboo music, referring to pipes, flutes, and so forth; fifth, gourd music, referring to harps and so forth; sixth, clay music, namely ocarinas and so forth; seventh, leather music, referring to drums and so forth; eighth, wood music, namely wooden clappers and percussion boxes mentioned above). Second, theatrical props (referring to puppet play masks, flute and oar shadow dances, lions and white horses, actor pantomimes, and representations of diverse manifestations). Third, costumes and adornments (referring to flower crowns, scarves, skirts, capes, robes, lattice sashes, bundled variegated silks, and arrays of various precious jewels). Fourth, games and gambling props (referring to liubo and weiqi, pitch-pot, path-drawing games, liujia divination boards, along with required dice, chess pieces, boards, and the like).

1.61

The four items above are all implements of dissipation and extravagance, which run directly counter to the basis of mindfulness and wisdom; they should be classified as heavy property. However, the saṅgha is not a storehouse for accumulation, and holding them is not without offense; in accordance with the treatises, they should be sold for money, which is then surrendered to the saṅgha for miscellaneous uses of the permanent property.

1.62

Sixth, miscellaneous decorative implements (there are two categories). First, implements for painting (referring to mundane drawing patterns, vermilion and azure pigments, red and green miscellaneous colors, as well as chalk lines, straightedges, compasses, and carpenters' squares, and the objects required). Second, items for leisurely enjoyment (referring to screens, partitions, paintings of landscapes and figures, accounts and calligraphy of roaming immortals and ancient worthies, as well as miscellaneous writings and unusual paintings).

1.63

The two items above also follow the procedure above. They merely delight frivolous sentiments and are ultimately not essential vehicles. They should be gathered into permanent property to furnish and adorn the saṅgha halls.

1.64

Seventh, precious gems and various currencies (there are four categories). First, heavy treasures (referring to gold, silver, genuine pearls, maṇi jewels, coral, tridacna, and agate—these seven treasures—as well as various jade pi discs). Second, light treasures (referring to brass, copper, iron, lead, tin, pewter, and various imitation pearls). Third, coin treasures (referring to gold, silver, copper, and iron coins, down to eight kinds including those made of leather, with inscriptions or images upon them). Fourth, remaining remnants (referring to implements required for smelting, as well as ingots, rough blocks, casting molds, and the like).

1.65

The four items above are all strictly heavy property, strictly forbidden mundane wealth. For the first, third, and fourth: in principle they may not be kept by oneself; if they happen to support the Way, they may be entrusted to laypeople through vikalpanā, and upon death they are classified as heavy property, thus remaining in permanent property. The second category consists of light treasures, which follow conditions into three pathways: if they are lumps and fragments of copper or brass in their original substance that people donated not intended for bodily use, they follow their original heavy nature and are entrusted to a pure keeper through vikalpanā. If they belong to the class of the one hundred and one items such as bowls, basins, or robe hooks, which the Vinaya permits for personal use, they fall within the category of light property; copper fragments intended for use can be distributed by analogy with this. Thus in the Mahāsāṃghika: all coins—gold, silver, genuine pearls, lapis lazuli, cowrie shells, coral, tridacna, agate, jade, and stone—are classified as heavy property. If they have already been fashioned into vessels and utensils and count among the one hundred and one items, they are classified as light property; these are not genuine treasures. Thus the Mahāsāṃghika states: 'Coins, gold, and silver must not be touched; other light treasures may be touched but must not be worn; they may be used as the one hundred and one items.' As explained in the treatises, they do not require vikalpanā.

1.66

Based on this, when various utensils and implements are made, in principle they are not classified as heavy property. In the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, only the three of coins, gold, and silver are clarified, while the others are not discussed, from which it is clearly known that they generally fall within the limit of light property. Although items of tin and pewter are not listed in the text, the Vinaya allows them to be used to mend bowls; not being heavy property, they follow the bowl and are classified as light property without doubt.

1.67

Now there are those who presumptuously practice the Vinaya teaching by relying on treatises to distribute gold, money, golden couches, and other items. This is not a comprehensive clarification of the established teaching; they merely use whatever matches the literal text, conforming to their own greed and delusion. Not only are the scriptural texts clear or obscure, but the Sage established the Four Reliances and the Four Great Black-Ink Seals, which one must properly follow as standards. In the lack of leisure within saṃsāra, making immediate decisions upon hearing mere sounds is no different from hearsay. Now, to re-explain the matter of distributing gold, recounting its background, this passage comes from the Mātṛkā-śāstra, which belongs to the Kasyapīya lineage. The root Vinaya did not go this far; it was not intended for [ordinary monks'] capacity. As for 'distributing golden couches', originally a monk was reborn here from the heavens. Human requisites were not where he could be at ease. His mind was agitated and unsettled, and he constantly thought of the various requisites in the heavens. The Buddha instructed Ānanda to supply them as needed. Staying among them for a single night, he ascended to the stage of arhatship (aśaikṣa). Because this was a special dispensation, it does not generally apply to our school. The Fenbie gongde lun recounts this matter in detail. Therefore, in various sūtras such as the Chi shi jing and the Fozang jing, when the Buddha instructed his disciples to cultivate the Path, for those who cherished requisites and suffered shortages such that they could not realize the Path, he made expedient dispensations for them all. But for those who definitely do not cultivate the Path and delight in worldly phenomena, they are not permitted even to drink water, not permitted to tread the earth, and the great ghosts and spirits block them in front and sweep up after them. How could these be the words of mere humans? They are the correct speech of the Great Sage. Those who distribute gold all errantly practice unfinalized teachings, complying with their original greed to hoard, thus going against the class of pure believers. How could there be eminent monks who renounce worldly life, yet fail to practice the fundamental prohibitions, holding wealth and business in their hearts? They are not even worth counting. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra is the ultimate teaching of the final conclusion; in the text of that single work, it clarifies the eight impure items ten times, distinguishing between the Buddha's speech and Māra's speech by means of this. Therefore the text states: 'If someone says: "The Buddha permits monks to keep eight kinds of impure viper-like items, such as gold and treasures," this is the speech of Māra, not my disciple. If one speaks the reverse of this, it is called the Buddha's speech.' The text even says that regarding the Jetavana monks' distribution of gold, the Buddha also definitively prohibited it, [telling them] to divide the river and drink its water. Furthermore, in the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, Kātyāyana would not accept a king's gift of treasure. Because of this, the Tathāgata established the major and minor skandhas on observing the precepts: 'My disciples are not like the tīrthika śramaṇas who accept and keep gold and treasures.' Moreover, two hundred years after the Tathāgata's nirvāṇa, the Vṛji monks of the country of Vaiśālī presumptuously practiced the ten points; on the day of the recitation of the precepts, when they proclaimed the distribution of gold, the monk Yaśas gathered seven hundred men from Jambudvīpa and once again clearly judged that it was not permitted to distribute it. When the Buddha was at Jetavana, that was the first prohibition; after his nirvāṇa at Vaiśālī, that was the second prohibition; if it occurs nowadays, that is a third transgression. Distributing gold incurs a pātayantika offense; upon death, one enters the fire for two billion, one hundred and forty thousand years. Is this a minor offense? If they do not believe in being burned by fire in the future, yet now with the raging fire upon their bodies, they would surely believe the suffering and wish to avoid it.

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