翻譯名義集 7.70

7.70

【僧跋】即等供之唱法也。《寄歸傳》云：「三鉢羅佉多，舊訛云僧跋。」《梵摩難國王經》云：「夫欲施食者，皆當平等，不問大小。於是佛令阿難臨飯唱僧跋。僧跋者，眾僧飯皆平等故。」《莊嚴論》：「明尸利毱多長者，受外道囑，以毒和食，請佛及眾。佛知，令阿難唱僧跋，唱已方食，唱已毒散。」《事鈔》云：「況僧食十方普同，彼取自分，理應隨喜。而人情忌陿，用心不等。或有閉門限礙客僧者，不亦蚩乎！鳴鐘本意，豈其然哉！出家捨著，尤不應爾。但以危脆之身，不能堅護正法；浮假之命，不肯遠通僧食。違諸佛之教，損檀越之福，傷一時眾情，塞十方僧路。傳謬後生，所敗遠矣！改前迷而復道，不亦善哉（慳食獨啖，餓鬼之業）！或問：『僧事有限，外客無窮。以有限之食，供無窮之僧，事必不立。』答曰：『此乃鄙俗之淺度，瑣人之短懷；豈謂清智之深識，達士之高見？夫四事之供養，三寶之福田，猶天地之生長，山海之受用，何有盡哉？故《佛藏經》云：「當一心行道，隨順法行，勿念衣食所須者，如來白毫相中一分，供諸一切出家弟子，亦不能盡。」由此言之，勤修戒行，至誠護法，由道得利，以道通用，寺寺開門，處處同食，必當供足，判無乏少。』」凡受食時，應作五觀：一、計功多少，量彼來處（《大論》云：復次思惟此食，墾植耘除，收穫蹂治，舂磨淘汰，炊煮乃成，用功甚重，計一鉢之飯，作夫流汗，集合量之，食少汗多。此食作之功重，辛苦如是。入口食之，即成不淨，更無所直，宿昔之間，變為屎尿。本是美味，人之所嗜，變成不淨，）（惡）（不欲見。行者自思惟：「如此弊食，我若貪著，當墮地獄，噉燒鐵丸。從地獄出，當作畜生，牛羊駱駝，償其宿債；或作猪狗，常噉糞除。」如是觀食，則生厭想。）；二、忖己德行，全缺多減；三、防心顯過，不過三毒；四、正事良藥，取濟形苦；五、為成道業，世報非意。《事鈔》：「食不過三匙：初匙斷一切惡；中匙修一切善；後匙度一切眾生。」《增一》云：「多食致苦患，少食氣力衰；處中而食者，如秤無高下。」

[Saṃbhatta]: This is the procedure of chanting for equal offering of meals. The Jigui zhuan says: "Saṃprahāta was anciently corrupted as saṃbhatta." The King Brahmāya Sūtra says: "Those who wish to give food should all do so equally, regardless of great or small. Thereupon the Buddha ordered Ānanda to chant saṃbhatta before meals. Saṃbhatta means that the food for the Saṅgha is entirely equal." The Alaṅkāra-śāstra says: "It explains that the elder Śrīgupta, receiving the bidding of non-Buddhists, mixed poison into food and invited the Buddha and the Saṅgha. Knowing this, the Buddha ordered Ānanda to chant saṃbhatta; only after the chant was completed did they eat, and once chanted, the poison dispersed." The Shishi chao says: "Moreover, the Saṅgha's food is universally shared across the ten directions; when others take their share, one should in principle rejoice with them. Yet human feelings are jealous and narrow, and people's intentions are unequal. Some even close their gates to obstruct visiting monks; is this not foolish! How could the original intent of striking the bell ever be like that? Having left household life to abandon attachment, one especially should not act thus. Merely on account of a frail and brittle body, they are unable to steadfastly protect the True Dharma; for the sake of a floating, illusory life, they are unwilling to share the Saṅgha's food far and wide. They violate the teachings of the Buddhas, diminish the merit of the dānapatis, wound the feelings of the assembly at the time, and block the road for monks of the ten directions. Passing on this error to later generations, the ruin caused is far-reaching! To correct past delusions and return to the Way, would that not be good? (Greedily keeping food to eat alone is the karma of hungry ghosts!) Someone may ask: 'The Saṅgha's provisions are limited, while outside guests are endless. If one uses limited food to provide for endless monks, the matter will surely fail.' I answer: 'This is merely the shallow calculation of the vulgar and the short-sighted worry of petty persons; how could it be called the deep understanding of pure wisdom or the lofty vision of an enlightened person? The offerings of the four requisites and the field of merit of the Three Jewels are like the growth of heaven and earth, and the bounty of mountains and seas—how could they ever be exhausted? Thus the Buddhapiṭaka-sūtra says: "You should single-mindedly practice the Way, following the practice of the Dharma; do not fret over necessary food and clothing. Even a single portion from the Tathāgata's white curl (ūrṇā) could provide for all disciples who have left household life, and yet never be exhausted." From this it is clear: if one diligently cultivates moral precepts, protects the Dharma with utmost sincerity, obtains benefit through the Way, and uses it universally according to the Way, then with every monastery opening its gates and every place sharing meals, provisions will certainly be sufficient, and decisively there will be no lack.' Whenever receiving food, one should engage in the five contemplations: first, to calculate the amount of labour and measure where it comes from (The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Furthermore, contemplate this food: tilling, planting, weeding, harvesting, threshing, hulling, grinding, winnowing, and cooking before it is complete—the labour expended is extremely heavy. Calculating a single bowl of rice, the labourers' sweat, if gathered and measured, would exceed the amount of food. The labour of making this food is heavy, and the hardship is like this. Entering the mouth and eaten, it immediately becomes impure, with nothing of value left; in a day and a night, it turns into feces and urine. What was originally delicious food craved by people turns into foul impurity that one hates and does not wish to see. The practitioner contemplates: "If I greedily attach to such vile food, I shall fall into hell to swallow burning iron balls. Emerging from hell, I will be born as an animal—an ox, sheep, or camel—to repay past debts; or become a pig or dog, always eating filth and dung." When contemplating food like this, thoughts of revulsion arise.'); second, to assess one's own virtuous conduct, whether complete or deficient, abundant or lacking; third, to guard the mind against overt faults, not exceeding the three poisons; fourth, to treat it properly as good medicine, taken to rescue the body from suffering; fifth, to accept it for the sake of accomplishing the path of the Way, not for worldly retribution. The Shishi chao says: "Food should not exceed three spoonfuls: the first spoonful to cut off all evil; the middle spoonful to cultivate all good; the last spoonful to deliver all sentient beings." The Ekottarika-āgama says: "Eating much leads to suffering and disease; eating little causes qi and strength to decline; one who eats moderately is like a scale with neither high nor low."