法苑珠林 20.58

20.58

第二明偏袒者。依律云。偏露右肩。或偏露一肩。或偏露一膊。所言袒者謂肉袒也。示從依學有執作之務。俗中袖挾右袂便穩於事是也。今諸沙門但出一肩。仍有衫襖非袒露法。如大莊嚴論云。沙門釋子者肩黑是也。外道通黑。沙門露右。故有不同。律中但有三衣通肩被服。如見長老乃偏袒之。設以衣遮名為偏袒。一何可笑也。故知肉袒肩露。乃是立敬之極。然行事之時。量前為袒。如在佛前及至師僧懺悔禮拜。並須依前右袒為恭。若至寺外街衢路行。則須以衣覆肩不得露肉。西國濕熱共行不怪。此處寒地人多譏笑。故五分律云。雖是我語於餘方不清淨者不行無過也。

The second explains baring the shoulder. According to the vinaya, one bares the right shoulder, or bares one shoulder, or bares one arm. What is called baring refers to baring the flesh. It indicates following along to learn and having manual work to perform; in secular life, tucking up the right sleeve to make work convenient is the same idea. Nowadays, many śramaṇas merely expose one shoulder while still wearing a tunic or jacket; this is not the rule of baring and exposing. As the Dazhuangyan lun says, 'The shoulder of a śramaṇa, a son of the Śākya, is black'; non-Buddhists have both shoulders black, while śramaṇas expose the right, so there is a difference. In the vinaya, the three robes cover both shoulders; only when seeing an elder does one bare the shoulder. To call it baring the shoulder while covering it with clothes—how laughable! Thus we know that baring the flesh and exposing the shoulder is the height of establishing respect. However, when performing ritual matters, one bares the shoulder according to the occasion: when in front of the Buddha or before masters and monks for repentance and homage, one must follow the precedent of baring the right shoulder as an act of respect. If walking on streets and thoroughfares outside the monastery, one must cover the shoulders with robes and not expose the flesh. In the Western lands, it is hot and humid, so everyone does it together without thinking it strange; here in this cold land, many people would ridicule it. Therefore, the Wufen lü says: 'Even though it was spoken by me, if it is not pure in other regions, there is no fault in not practicing it.'