四部律并論要用抄 2.8

2.8

The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya, "Rules on Robes" in the fourth recitation, fascicle eight, clarifies the rules for caring for the sick: The Venerable Upāli asked the Buddha, "Who can provide for and look after a sick person?" The Buddha said, "The upādhyāya, the ācārya, a fellow-upādhyāya, or a fellow-ācārya. If these four kinds of persons are absent, the saṃgha should provide. If the saṃgha does not provide, the saṃgha incurs a duṣkṛta. If one who is assigned by the saṃgha refuses to go, he incurs a duṣkṛta offense. From this day forward, I establish the rules for a monk caring for the sick. The rule for a caregiver of the sick is that he should do whatever the patient requires. He should remain by the sick person's side in accordance with the time and inquire into the patient's condition. Having inquired, he should ask a physician or ask a monk who understands illness: 'The sick monk is like this; with what medicine can he be cured?' If he gives instructions, he should follow them. As for such-and-such medicine, the next day he should go to the kitchen and see what food the saṃgha has. If there is food suitable to the illness, he should give it; if there is no food suitable to the illness, he should take what the saṃgha provides for the sick. If this is not available, then in that dwelling place, if there are good and virtuous monks, he should seek it from them to provide for the sick. If this is not available, he should seek it from senior, highly learned monks. If this is not available, he should retain the sick monk's six articles and trade the remaining articles for what is needed to provide for the sick. If there is still nothing, he should trade heavy property that has been received for light property, accept and hold it, obtain money, and purchase what is needed to provide for the sick. If this is not available, he should trade his received iron bowl for an ordinary bowl, accept and hold it, obtain money, and purchase what is needed to provide for the sick. If this is not available, the caregiver should give from his own property. If he has none himself, he should beg from others to provide for the sick. If he lacks acquaintances and cannot obtain anything by begging, he should beg delicious almsfood to provide for the sick. The caregiver should bring it to the patient's side and preach the pure Dharma for him, what is the path and what is not the path, evoking his wisdom; he should preach the Dharma as appropriate in this way. If an araṇyaka is sick, he should praise the practice of the araṇyaka before him. If he studies the practice of dhūta, he should praise dhūta. If he studies the vinaya, he should praise the vinaya. If he is a Dharma master, he should praise the Abhidharma. If he assists in saṃgha affairs, he should praise assisting in saṃgha affairs. If he is a senior, highly learned monk, one should inquire about the marks of the stages: the marks of the second, third, and fourth stages, from srotāpanna up to the fruit of arhatship. When he dies, offerings should be made in accordance with his merit. When the offerings are completed, the various robes and articles that ought to be washed should be washed, wrung out, dried in the sun, smoothed, and brought into the saṃgha. He should announce thus: 'Monk so-and-so has died. This is the saṃghāṭī, this is the uttarāsaṅga, this is the water filter, this is the sitting mat, and these are articles for adornment and living,' announcing that he has attained such excellent destinies."