釋門歸敬儀 2.27

2.27

僧是丈夫，剛幹事立，故制互跪。尼是女弱，翹苦易勞，故令長跪。兩膝據地，兩脛翹空，兩足指指地，挺身而立者是也。《經》中以行事經久，苦弊集身，左右兩膝交互而跪。《經》中比丘亦有兩膝至地白佛者，言「胡跪」者，胡人敬相，此方所無，存其本緣，故云「胡」也。或作「胡跽」者，撿諸字書，跽即天竺國屈膝之相也。俗《禮》云：「授立不𧻜。」𧻜謂屈膝，俗所諱之，凡有所授，膝須起立。

Monks are virile men, strong and able to establish undertakings; therefore, alternating kneeling is prescribed for them. Nuns are delicate women, easily fatigued by the hardship of suspension; therefore, kneeling upright is enjoined upon them. That is, supporting both knees on the ground, raising both shins in the air, with the toes of both feet pointing to the ground, and standing the torso upright. In the sūtras, because rituals took a long time and weariness accumulated in the body, they knelt alternating the left and right knees. In the sūtras, there are also cases where monks touched the ground with both knees to address the Buddha. As for what is called "barbarian kneeling" (hū-kneeling), this is a respectful gesture of the barbarian people (Hū), which did not exist in this land; preserving its original context, it is called "Hū." It is also written as "barbarian bending" (huji); examining various dictionaries, *ji* is the mark of bending the knees in the land of India. The secular Book of Rites says: "When presenting something, stand and do not bend the knees (qi)." *Qi* means bending the knees, which is tabooed in secular custom: whenever presenting something, one's knees must rise and stand.