道宣律師感通錄 1.32

1.32

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.