四分戒本疏卷第一．第二．第三 2.52

2.52

“If a bhikṣu has lost his robe, had his robe snatched away, had his robe burned, or had his robe swept away by water, and an unrelated male householder or female householder invites him at will and offers many robes, that bhikṣu should accept robes with contentment; if he accepts in excess, it is a niḥsargika-prāyaścittika.” This full precept text has six clauses: 1. the offender; 2. encountering the four conditions (this refers to the conditions for the donation of robes); 3. the unrelated householders who are the donors of the robes; 4. “invites at will” and so forth: donating because of the lost robes; 5. “that bhikṣu” and so forth: instructing to accept with contentment; 6. “if he accepts in excess” and so forth: concluding the offense of exceeding acceptance. The first three clauses are evident. Regarding the fourth clause, “invites at will and offers many”: If the donor offers many robes and the bhikṣu has lost one robe, among them there are those he should take and those he should not take. If he lost one robe, he should not take [multiple]. If he lost two robes and the remaining one robe has multiple layers—whether two, three, or four—he should tear it apart to make the other two robes; if he lost all of them, he takes an upper and a lower robe, and takes the remaining one robe from another place. If the donor offers many robes that are thin, fine, or not sturdy, he should take them to make two, three, or four layers, attaching borders and on the shoulder attaching hooks and loops. If there is leftover material, he should say to the donor: “What shall be made of this leftover cloth?” If the donor says: “I am not giving it because of the lost robes; we are simply giving it to the Venerable One,” if he wishes to accept it, he should accept it. Regarding “should accept robes with contentment,” contentment is of two kinds: 1. contentment of laypeople; 2. contentment of the ordained. “Contentment of laypeople” means accepting robes in accordance with what laypeople give: when laypeople donate because of a loss, originally because three were lost, now receiving back three is contentment. However, because this contentment conforms to the rules of those who have gone forth, it is called the contentment of the ordained. This means that losing three and receiving three accords with the contentment of the three [robes]. Regarding “if he accepts in excess, it is a niḥsargika-prāyaścittika,” this is the sixth clause concluding the offense of excessive acceptance. The Vinaya states: Losing one and receiving two, losing two and receiving three, losing three and receiving four, etc., are all receiving when already sufficient, receiving further and violating the two forms of contentment; hence it is called “exceeding contentment.” Receiving it immediately constitutes an offense of forfeiture and fall. This robe must be forfeited to the Saṅgha, whether to one person or many persons; it cannot be forfeited to a separate assembly. If forfeited [to a separate assembly], the forfeiture is invalid. Having forfeited it, he should confess the offense, and then they should return the robe. If they do not return the robe, they incur an offense. Regarding non-offense: The Vinaya states that taking with contentment, taking less than contentment, or if the fabric of the robe is fine, thin, and not sturdy so that one takes it to make layers, does not constitute an offense.