道宣律師感通錄 1.32

1.32

又問。何名忍辱鎧。答曰。即此為三寶之相。上制天魔下降外道。達摩云。此衣既為可貴。有大威靈。豈得以所坐之布而居其上。為瞿曇教汝。為是汝自為之。時比丘咸皆默然。外道云。瞿曇教汝。此法不足可尊。云何自稱一切智人。若汝自為之。師何不復教汝耶。比丘食訖還僧坊中。以事白佛。由此佛制。還以衣角居于左臂。坐具還在衣下。於後比丘披著袈裟。多不齊整。諸離車子譏言。無有威儀。所披衣服狀如婬女。猶如象鼻。因此始制上安鉤紐。今以衣角達于左臂。置於左腋下。不得令垂。如上過也。前引舍利弗事。此方前開不見後制。義須綸綜。往者雞鳴之詩。挈壺掌漏刻之官齊無道官失其守。諸侯朝顛倒衣裳。詩人刺之。可不鏡哉。書云。冠雖賤不可以居下。屨雖貴不可以居上。此言雖貴不可以上。此言雖小可以況大。古人或詢諸芻蕘。伏願仁慈。不以人微廢教也。余備聞雅論。前後憲章。斯則一化之所宗。承三藏之弘徹也。如或鏗執頓拒。未聞何殊。結集氷開八事之緣。不遵上座重結之相也。縱無此示情。或廣之五分律中。餘方不為清淨者。雖制不行。據此可依准的。況復天人賜降。周統制開。恨知之晚也。然於現教事等云篇仰以信之。亦同飲光之罰懽喜也。如是云云。

He asked further: 'Why is it called the armor of forbearance?' They replied: 'This is the emblem of the Three Jewels, which overcomes the celestial demons above and subdues the non-Buddhists below.' Dharmata said: 'Since this robe is so precious and possesses great august spiritual power, how can a cloth used for sitting rest on top of it? Did Gautama teach you this, or did you do it yourselves?' At that time the monks were all silent. The non-Buddhist said: 'If Gautama taught you, this teaching is not worthy of honor. How could he call himself an omniscient person? If you did it yourselves, why did your teacher not instruct you?' Having finished eating, the monks returned to the monastery and reported the matter to the Buddha. Because of this, the Buddha instituted that the corner of the robe should once again rest upon the left arm, and the sitting mat should once again be beneath the robe. Afterward, when the monks put on their kaṣāyas, many were untidy. The Licchavis ridiculed them, saying: 'They have no deportment; the garments they wear look like courtesans, like elephant trunks!' Because of this, he first instituted the placement of hooks and loops above. Now, bringing the corner of the robe to the left arm and placing it under the left armpit, one must not let it hang down, as in the fault above. You previously cited the matter of Śāriputra; this side of things knows the earlier opening but has not seen the later institution. In principle, one must synthesize them. In the past, regarding the poem 'The Cock Crows', the officer who held the clepsydra and managed the water clock failed his post because Qi was unprincipled; when the feudal lords went to court, their clothes and skirts were upside down, and the poet criticized them. How could this not serve as a mirror? The Book says: 'Though a cap is cheap, it cannot be put below; though shoes are precious, they cannot be put above.' These words, though precious, mean it cannot be on top. These words, though small, may illustrate the great. The ancients would sometimes consult grass-gatherers. I humbly pray that your benevolence will not discard the teaching because the person is lowly." Having fully heard this refined discourse and the earlier and later statutes, [I realized] this is the principle upheld throughout the entire dispensation, carrying through the comprehensive penetration of the Tripiṭaka. If one were to obstinately cling and abruptly reject it, how would that differ from not listening? It would be like the eight events that split like ice at the council, failing to follow the elder's repeated council. Even without this instruction, if one were to broaden it, in the Five-Part Vinaya: 'What is not regarded as pure in other regions, though prescribed, is not to be practiced.' According to this, it may be taken as a standard. How much more so when devas deign to descend, fully encompassing institutions and permissions! I regret knowing this so late. Yet toward the present teachings, matters are like the broad sky; I look up and believe them, just as I rejoice in the penalty imposed on Kāśyapa. And so on and so forth.