四部律并論要用抄 2.3

2.3

The text on entrustment in the 'Cīvaraskandhaka' of the third section of the Four-Part Vinaya: If a sick person, at the point of death, says: 'I give all these things of mine to the Buddha, to the Dharma, to the Saṃgha, or to the stūpa attendants; give them after I die; if I do not die, return them to me,' the Buddha said: 'It should not be given in this way; they must be distributed among the sammukhībhūta-saṃgha.' Question: When entrustment is decisively made in this way, why does it fail after death? Answer: After the body dies, there is not even half a copper coin's share [belonging to him]; this property by principle should belong to the Saṃgha, hence it is said to fail. Question: What constitutes valid entrustment? Answer: If the sick person says, 'Whether I live or die, I definitely give it,' this constitutes valid entrustment. Question: After a sick person decisively entrusts it, if he takes it back again, what then? Answer: If it was decisively entrusted, he should not take it back later. Why? Because it was decisively entrusted to another. If he takes it back, an offense of the heavy class is incurred according to the value of the money. Question: If the sick person's entrustment fails, and subsequent people take the deceased's robes and possessions to make merit, is this in accordance with the Dharma? Answer: It is not in accordance with the Dharma. Why is that? The entrustment having failed, it is still the property of the Saṃgha. If used to make merit, all who share the intention incur a sthūlātyaya offense. If someone guards this property and does not give it, and one takes it by force, an offense of the heavy class is incurred according to the value of the money. At that time, in Śrāvastī, an indebted monk died, and it was not known who should repay [the debt]. They went and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha said: 'I permit using the deceased's extra robes to repay it. If there are no possessions, sell his tricīvara; what remains should be given to the gilānopasthāyaka.' That gilānopasthāyaka should ask the sick monk: 'Which are your tricīvara? Which are your extra robes? To whom do you owe debts? Who owes debts to you? To whom should you give [your property]?' If he does not ask, he should be dealt with according to the Dharma.