量處輕重儀 2.68

2.68

The above is determined by analogy: in the Vinaya rulings, none of the above garments enter heavy property, but we now establish this by principle. As in the Vinaya texts, when kings offered costly garments, the Buddha had them purified by donation if they conformed to the measure. This clearly shows that distinct secular royal garments can be equated in this land with robes adorned with mountains, dragons, variegated pheasants, sun, moon, and rice grains. I have heard from a revelation from the unseen realm that kings in the Western Regions mostly revere the Buddha's teaching; externally managing state governance they wear secular clothing, but internally adhering to Dharma practice they cherish monastic garments, all wearing saṃghāṭīs identical to those worn by monks. Their value is extremely high, sometimes exceeding ten thousand pieces of gold. Thus, the garment Jīvaka offered to the Buddha was worth a hundred thousand. Furthermore, devout laymen and laywomen, up to householder bodhisattvas, all wore the three robes, and even devas of the form realm shared this attire, unlike ordinary kings. In this land, kings, ministers, and laymen and laywomen have also worn them in accordance with the sūtras. For instance, in the Liang and Chen dynasties, secular scholars and others all wore them. Now, adducing practical use to corroborate the arrival of the teaching: Emperor Wu of Liang personally relied on the Buddha's teaching, receiving and upholding the three robes and the khakkhara. Therefore, when ascending the seat to deliver lectures, he cast off the imperial robes and donned Dharma robes. As recorded in the *Collected Works of Emperor Jianwen*, Emperor Gaozu [Wu of Liang] frequently bestowed patched kāṣāyas, as clearly evidenced by memorial letters of thanks. Furthermore, Xiao Yu, as Vice Director of the Right under the Great Tang, would enter a quiet courtyard after concluding public affairs, donning the three Dharma robes to pay homage to the Buddha and chant scriptures, making this his regular practice. When he died, his robes were sent to Jinliang Monastery to be treated by karman for light property. Recently, in the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong bestowed a seven-strip patched robe he had worn upon Dharma Master Sengzhen of Shengguang Monastery, valued at thirty thousand; after [Sengzhen's] death, it was recalled back to the palace. He also took a seven-strip robe he had worn and presented it to Dharma Masters Gong and Xuan, commanding them to compose poems, with the first to finish receiving it; when they finished at the same time, he ordered scholars to evaluate their merits, and all declared them equal; consequently, ordering the market appraisers, it was valued at sixty thousand, whereupon he brought forth the robe and paid each person one hundred bolts of silk. Furthermore, he bestowed a patched robe upon Dharma Master Xuanzang, which still exists today, and when someone offered to buy it for one hundred thousand, he still would not give it away. From these various proofs, we know that kings wearing costly three robes is not an error.