佛制比丘六物圖 1.91

1.91

Third, determining the measurements. The Dharmaguptaka-vinaya: "Two Buddha-spans in length, (According to the Pañcavargika-vinaya: 'One Buddha-span is two chi by the Zhou ruler; thus the length is four chi.' When measuring, the feet and inches must be fixed; if it slightly exceeds the measure, the Vinaya establishes a primary offence.) and one and a half spans in breadth (which is three chi)." The above is the original prescribed measure. The Vinaya says: "At that time Kālodāyin's body was large and his niṣīdana was small; he spoke of this to the Buddha, who thereupon permitted increasing the length and breadth by half a span each." (Each increased by one chi.) This is a later allowance. The Jieshu says: "To increase it further is an exceptional allowance. One still proceeds from the original prescription, making a separate increase beyond the limit." (Some who hold the increased measurement to be the regular rule are mistaken.) It also says: "Speaking of the present world, people all delight in vast and large clothing and seat-mats, and all delight in sumptuous and heavy food and drink and utensils." (And so on.) Although departing from the prescription to follow the allowance is theoretically tenable, yet Kālodāyin was exceptionally large and was only granted an addition of half a span; how could people nowadays, being lowly and small, find the initial measurement inadequate? If one says it is not so, please refer to authoritative proof. The Shichao says: "To make it according to the Dharma, after following the initial measure, one cuts it off and applies a border. If when sitting one's knees touch the ground, one relies on the increased measure and joins an addition along one end and one side. This is the definitive canonical text." (Thus we know that if one's knees do not touch the ground, one does not make the increase. Some say that 'the initial measure abolishes the earlier teaching,' which is mistaken.) However, past generations only increased one chi along the length end and one chi along the breadth side; later, a deva told the Patriarch: "Even if one patches all four sides, it does not violate the text of 'half a span.' It is only that the translation's wording was concise, saying merely 'half a span each'; considered as a cross-measurement, it precisely means all four sides." The four patches of the sitting mat began from this.