法苑珠林 84.13

84.13

Now, the five desires, hindrances, and entanglements are all obstacles to dhyāna. Once one is able to eliminate them, the mind becomes serene and capable of cultivating the Way. Therefore, within this chapter, the twelve dhūta practices are fully explained; regarding having few desires and knowing contentment, nothing surpasses these. In the West it is called dhūta; here it is translated as 'shaking off'. Being able to practice this Dharma means one can shake off afflictions and depart from greedy attachment, just as shaking clothes can remove dust and dirt. Thus it takes its name from this metaphor and is called dhūta. Sūtras and treatises explain them separately, each speaking of twelve; taking general and specific together, there are sixteen in total. For instance, among clothing there are four; among food there are six; among dwelling places there are six; hence they total sixteen. The four for clothing are: first, wearing robes made of rags from a dust heap; second, wearing robes of coarse wool; third, wearing patched robes; fourth, possessing only the three robes. The six for food are: first, begging for food; second, begging for food in consecutive order; third, not eating subsequent food; fourth, eating in a single sitting; fifth, eating a measured amount of food, also called regulated eating; sixth, not drinking gruel after midday. The six for dwelling places are: first, dwelling in an araṇya; second, dwelling among tombs; third, dwelling under a tree; fourth, dwelling in the open air; fifth, constantly sitting; sixth, sitting wherever one finds oneself. From these sixteen, by hiding or revealing, separating or combining, twelve are spoken of. As for the four regarding clothing: according to the Four-Part Vinaya and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, they both speak only of two: first, wearing patched robes, and second, possessing the three robes, not discussing the other two. According to the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, three are spoken of for clothing: first, wearing robes made of rags from a dust heap; second, wearing robes of coarse wool; third, keeping the three robes, not discussing patched robes. For the six regarding food: the Nirvāṇa Sūtra speaks of three, namely begging for food, eating in a single sitting, and eating a measured amount of food. The reason it does not mention begging in consecutive order is that when one can beg for food according to the Dharma, there is necessarily a consecutive order, so it is not separately stated. As long as one can eat a measured amount in a single sitting, naturally one does not eat subsequent food or drink gruel after midday, so these are not separately stated. In the Four-Part Vinaya, four are spoken of for food: three are the same as above, with the addition of begging in consecutive order. In the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, five are spoken of for food, not mentioning not eating subsequent food. For the six regarding dwelling places: according to the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, five are spoken of, omitting sitting wherever one finds oneself. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Vinaya both speak fully of six. Now, according to the various schools, there are sixteen in total.