釋氏要覽 2.31

2.31

Buddhists arrange seniority not by youth or age, noble or base, but solely by the number of summer retreats. ○ The Mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra states: When a bhikṣu receives the full precepts, it is called being born into the Buddha's household; therefore, one should pay homage to those who received the precepts earlier. ○ The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya states: The Buddha said, "From now on, one who received the full precepts earlier, even by a brief moment, should sit first, receive food first, and so forth." ○ A verse in the Candrapradīpa-samādhi-sūtra says: / One should inquire of their summer retreats; / if they are an elder, / one should make offerings, revere them, / and touch the head and face to their feet in homage. / ○ The Brahmā Net Sūtra states: If one is a disciple of the Buddha, one should sit in order according to the Dharma; those who received the precepts earlier sit in front, not honoring age or youth, noble or base, not like the methods of soldiers, slaves, or non-Buddhists; and if a bodhisattva fails to comply with the Dharma in any detail, they commit an offense of minor defilement. ○ The Mahālaṃkāra-śāstra states: The Buddha's younger brother Nanda had a servant named Upāli, who took refuge in the Buddha, went forth, and received the precepts, afterward sitting in the monastic order. Prince Nanda later arrived, went forth, and paid homage in sequence. Coming before Upāli, he thought, "He is my servant; I should not pay him homage." At that time, the Buddha told Nanda, "The Buddha-Dharma is like the ocean, which accommodates hundreds of rivers, all becoming of one taste. It is solely based on precedence of receiving the precepts, not on noble and base. The four great elements are provisionally named a body; within it is empty and tranquil, fundamentally devoid of self and mine. You should contemplate the noble Dharma and not give rise to arrogance." At that time, Nanda abandoned his self-conceit and thereupon paid homage. (This is based on the precedence of receiving precepts, not on noble and base. If within the lineage order of disciples and nephews, one must arrange them by robes.)