四分戒本疏卷第一．第二．第三 3.58

3.58

“If a bhikṣu makes an arrangement with a bhikṣuṇī to board the same boat together, going upstream or downstream, except to cross directly across: prāyaścittika.” This full Prātimokṣa text contains five clauses: first, the transgressor; second, making an arrangement with a bhikṣuṇī; third, “boarding the same boat together, going upstream or downstream,” which states the intention of boarding the boat, because accompanying each other implies a desire to stay together for a long time; fourth, “except to cross directly across,” which is the permitted limit, because crossing directly across is not prolonged and therefore without fault; fifth, “prāyaścittika,” which determines the offense upon completion. The Vinaya states that after making an arrangement, entering the boat with both feet incurs a prāyaścittika; entering with one foot incurs a duṣkṛta. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā says that if there are many laypeople on the boat, making an arrangement incurs no offense. Or if on the boat there is one bhikṣu and many bhikṣuṇīs, or many bhikṣus and one bhikṣuṇī, according to the number of objects and deeds, he incurs that many prāyaścittikas. Even if there is a layperson as a companion, he still commits an offense, because remaining together for a prolonged period incurs grave damage from public criticism; therefore, whereas sitting and traveling together previously were temporarily permitted when accompanied by a person at one’s side without offense, arranging to board a boat together even with a laywoman also falls within the scope of an offense. This is omitted and not detailed here. In the subsequent text on dwellings, where a woman boards a boat and loses [her way], there is doubt, and the Buddha said he permits direct crossing; thus we know that traveling upstream and downstream clearly incurs the same offense. The Mahāsāṃghika, Sarvāstivāda, and Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā texts all state that crossing a boundary incurs the offense, which differs from this Vinaya. As for non-offenses: except for an arrangement to cross directly to the opposite shore; or if after entering the boat the boatman loses control of the ferry upstream or downstream; or if the opposite shore is unsafe; up to the perils mentioned above—none of these constitute an offense.