釋氏要覽 1.293

1.293

此法自縵條起也。十誦律云比丘居山野。許著縵條衣。不許著入聚落。應於衣上。貼作田相。又云。比丘貧少衣。不能割截應於衣上安貼。若五七九條。若過十五條等。

This method arose from the uncut robe (māntiaoyi). The Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya states: 'A monk dwelling in the wilderness is permitted to wear an uncut robe, but is not permitted to wear it when entering a village; he should patch paddy-field patterns onto the robe.' It also states: 'If a monk is poor and lacks robes, and cannot cut and piece [cloth], he should apply patches onto the robe, whether in five, seven, nine strips, or up to fifteen strips, and so forth.'