緇門警訓 3.53

3.53

事鈔引僧祇云。鉢是出家人器。非俗人所宜。十誦云。鉢是恒沙諸佛標誌。不得惡用。善見云。三乘聖人皆執瓦鉢。乞食資生。四海以為家居故。名比丘。中阿含云。鉢者。或名應器。言體者。律云。大要有二泥及鐵也。五分律云。有用白銅鉢者。佛言。此外道法。若畜得罪。佛自作鉢坏以為後式。十誦律云。畜金銀木石等鉢非法得罪。言色者。四分云。應熏作黑色赤色。律文廣有熏法素瓦白鐵油塗者。並為非法。言量者。四分云。大受三斗。小受斗半。中品可知。此律姚秦時譯彼國用姬周之斗。若準唐斗。上鉢受一斗。下者五升。乃至云。然則諸部定量雖無一指。然多三斗斗半為限。但此器名應器。須依教立律云。量腹而食度身而衣。取足而已。言通增減必準正教。

The Shishi chao cites the Sengqi lü: 'The bowl is an implement for renunciants, not suitable for secular people.' The Shisong lü states: 'The bowl is the emblem of the Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges; it must not be put to improper use.' The Shanjian lü states: 'The noble ones of the three vehicles all hold earthenware bowls to beg for food and sustain their lives; taking the four seas as their home, they are thus named bhikṣus.' The Madhyama Āgama states: 'The bowl is also named the "vessel of accord" (pātra).' Regarding its material substance, the Vinaya states: 'In general, there are two kinds: clay and iron.' The Wufen lü states: 'Some used bowls of white copper, and the Buddha said, "This is a practice of non-Buddhists; if one keeps it, one commits an offense." The Buddha himself made an unbaked clay bowl to serve as a model for later times.' The Shisong lü states: 'Keeping bowls of gold, silver, wood, stone, and the like is not in accordance with the Dharma and constitutes an offense.' Regarding its color, the Sifen lü states: 'It should be smoked to become black or red.' The Vinaya text describes the smoking method in detail; unadorned earthenware, white iron, or those coated with oil are all contrary to the Dharma. Regarding its capacity, the Sifen lü states: 'The large one holds three dous; the small one holds a dou and a half; the medium one can be known from this.' When this Vinaya was translated during the Yao Qin, that country used the dou of the Ji-Zhou dynasty. In terms of the Tang dou, the superior bowl holds one dou, and the inferior holds five sheng, and so forth. Although the specified measures in the various vinaya lineages are not uniform, most take three dou and one and a half dou as the limits. However, this vessel is named the 'vessel of accord' and must be established according to the teachings. The Vinaya states: 'Measure the stomach to eat, measure the body to dress; take only what is sufficient.' The mention of increase and decrease must accord with the correct teachings.