律戒本疏 1.73

1.73

[Rule] Twenty: Building a large hut. A householder gave one hundred thousand gold coins to the monk Chanda, requesting him to oversee the construction of huts for the saṃgha. Chanda was lazy and negligent; in a single day, he hastily completed it, so that the lower part was wet and the upper part was heavy, collapsing all at once. The householder was greatly distressed. For this reason, the precept was formulated: "From now on, in constructing a house, one must proceed gradually. When roofing the house, whether with tiles, thatch, or timber, after two courses one must stop and wait for the walls below to dry, and only then continue thatching." When thatching, if the laity do not know how, the monk may thatch it himself. One course serves as an example; or if the second course is not yet finished, having set the binding, he should leave. This is because [construction] hinders the practice of the Way, because one does not wish to scold or trouble the workers, because one does not wish to urge them to finish hastily, and because one avoids [offending] later donors. If a monk thatches it himself and, having finished the second course, does not leave, then for every timber, thatch, or tile used, he commits a pāyattika for each and every one. If planks, bird wings, or light thatch are used, there is no offense.