四分戒本疏卷第一．第二．第三 2.89

2.89

Precept 26: Storing medicine for more than seven days. 1. Intent of the formulation: The back of an ordinary worldling is driven and troubled by the four great elements. At the end of autumn and the beginning [of winter], when the seasonal energies contend and the four great elements shift, various illnesses immediately arise. Since there is affliction and illness, preventing and abandoning the cultivation of the Path, the Great Sage took pity and skillfully allowed the retention and consumption of various medicines to treat the suffering of illness, aiming to bring ease to the body and advance the practice of the Path. Because the Sage allowed it, monks extensively hoarded numerous medicines, which increased greed, ruined practice, transgressed the teachings, and brought ridicule; the fault being not light, the prāyaścittika offense was formulated. 2. Explanation of the name: Storing for use belonging to oneself is named "storing" (possessing); curing ailments is called "medicine"; exceeding the time limit is called "more than seven days." Hence it is called the precept against storing medicine for more than seven days. 3. Complete conditions: The general conditions are as above; the specific conditions are four: 1. it is a seven-day medicine; 2. adding the two receipts by hand and mouth; 3. not declaring it pure; 4. possessing it for more than seven days, whereupon the offense is committed. 4. Deficient conditions can be known by category. Below, the prātimokṣa text is properly clarified. This precept arose from a disciple of Pilindavatsa, for which the Buddha formulated the precept.