梵網經述記卷第一 1.3.2

1.3.2

‘If there is no monk, [nuns] may not undertake the summer retreat.’ This is the third. ‘Having completed the summer retreat, a nun must seek [confession] of three matters—what is seen, heard, and suspected—before both assemblies.’ This is the fourth. ‘If monks do not grant permission to listen, then nuns may not listen to the sūtras, vinaya, and abhidharma; if they grant permission to listen, then they may listen.’ This is the fifth. ‘Ānanda, a nun may not speak of a monk’s offenses, but a monk may speak of a nun’s offenses.’ This is the sixth. ‘Ānanda, if a nun commits a saṃghāvaśeṣa, she must undergo mānatta for fifteen days before both assemblies.’ This is the seventh. ‘Ānanda, even if a nun has received full ordination for a hundred years, she must still humble her mind and pay homage, revere, and serve a monk who has just received full ordination.’ This is the eighth honored guru-dharma. At that time, when Ānanda explained the eight honored guru-dharmas to Mahāprajāpatī, Mahāprajāpatī accepted the eight honored guru-dharmas and thereby went forth. The Buddha told Ānanda: ‘If women were not permitted to go forth and train in the path within this genuine Dharma and Vinaya, the True Dharma would endure for one thousand years. Now five hundred years are lost, and only five hundred years remain.’ Fascicle two of the Vinayamātṛkā-śāstra is also identical to this scripture. The meaning intended here is that upon receiving the eight dharmas, one attains the full precepts. As the Daśa-bhāṇavāra-vinaya says: ‘Upāli asked: “Did Prajāpatī go forth and become a bhikṣuṇī simply by receiving the eight heavy dharmas?” The Buddha said regarding other nuns: “One must perform the formal motion and three announcements (jñapti-caturtha-karman) in their presence.”’ Question: If that is so, since the assembly of nuns was not yet complete at that time, how did the others receive the precepts? Answer: As the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra says: ‘Before the fourteenth year, women were ordained through the eight conditions; after the fourteenth year, they were ordained by karman.’ Furthermore, its second fascicle says: ‘Eight years after attaining awakening, there was the formal motion and three announcements.’ Also, the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: ‘The five hundred bhikṣuṇīs likewise attained it through the conditions of the dharma.’ Also, the Vinayamātṛkā says: ‘Receiving the full precepts through the guru-dharmas was granted only to Gautamī and the five hundred women; none of the rest could receive the full precepts through the guru-dharmas.’ Regarding ordination by sending a messenger: The Nyāyānusāra says: ‘Through sending an envoy; namely, the nun Dharmadinnā.’ The Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: ‘The courtesan Aḍḍhakāsī wished to go to an araṇya dwelling to receive the full precepts, but a band of thieves along the road intended to capture her. When the woman heard of this, she did not dare to go. The Buddha permitted her to receive the full precepts from afar. First, after completing the primary formal act within the assembly of nuns, the ordination candidate was placed in one location, and ten nuns were taken to the araṇya dwelling to pay homage to the feet of the Saṃgha. The nun karman master requested on her behalf from the Saṃgha, and the monk karman master then performed the formal motion and three announcements for her. The upādhyāyikā and ācāryā took the ten nuns back to the original place, called the ordination candidate to pay homage to the feet of the assembly, and so on at length.’ Also, the Vinayamātṛkā says: ‘Among nuns who received the precepts by sending an envoy, there was only one woman who was exceptionally fair of countenance, peerless in the world. If she were to travel, it was feared evil men would plunder her, which the Buddha permitted. Nowadays, if there is a comparable case, ordination by sending an envoy is permissible.’ Regarding ordination by requesting five virtuous ones: The Nyāyānusāra says: ‘Because an expert in the vinaya acts as the fifth person; namely, in borderlands.’ Regarding ordination by karman: The Nyāyānusāra says: ‘Through an assembly of ten; namely, in the Central Land.’ This applies commonly to both monks and nuns. When a nun receives the full precepts, there are ten in each of the two assemblies. The mention of five and ten is stated according to the absolute minimum; having more does no harm to the principle. Regarding ordination by the Three Refuges: The Nyāyānusāra says: ‘Through thrice declaring refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha; namely, the sixty Bhadravargīyas assembling together to receive the full precepts.’ Explanation: The Buddha dispatched an aśaikṣa to speak the Three Refuges for them, whereupon they obtained the full precepts. Fascicle two of the Vinayamātṛkā-śāstra states: ‘The Buddha said to Kauṇḍinya: “If a person goes forth, shave their hair and beard, and teach them to speak thus: ‘From now until the end of my life, I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha. I now go forth relying upon the Buddha; the Bhagavān is my teacher.’ Receiving the precepts through the threefold declaration is understood as I have explained.” The Venerable Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya journeyed to the Vṛji country, and further arrived in the city of Vaiśālī. In Vaiśālī there were Vṛji people; sons of good family from both lands were dwelling in the same place. These people all gave rise to the thought: “Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya has gone forth in the teaching of the Great Śramaṇa and practices the brahmacarya. Let us approach him to go forth and learn the Dharma.” Having discussed this together, they led one another to Kauṇḍinya's presence, bowed their heads to his feet, and said to the Venerable One: “We only pray that the Great Virtuous One will permit us to go forth in the Tathāgata's teaching and cultivate the brahmacarya.” Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya permitted them to go forth and recited the threefold declaration for them to receive the precepts. Having received the precepts, they went together to the Buddha's location. Kauṇḍinya said to the Buddha: “These sons of good family sought to go forth, and I recited the threefold declaration for them to receive the precepts. Have they attained the precepts or not?” The Buddha told Kauṇḍinya: “These people, through the threefold declaration of receiving the precepts, have well attained their precepts.”’ Question: Why are other people not permitted to attain the full precepts through the Three Refuges? Answer: Prior to the promulgation of the rule, there was ordination through the threefold declaration; after the World-Honoured One promulgated the rule, there was no ordination through the threefold declaration. Because a sick monk had no one to attend him, [someone] went and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha told the monks: ‘From this day forward, the karman of the threefold declaration is terminated; I permit the full ordination to be conferred through the formal motion and three announcements before ten monks.’ The Abhidharmakośa, Nyāyānusāra (fascicle thirty-seven), and Samayapradīpikā enumerate ten modes of obtaining the precepts, which are identical to these ten modes of obtaining the precepts in the Daśa-bhāṇavāra-mātṛkā: 1. spontaneous ordination, 2. seeing the truth, 3. question and answer, 4. the Three Refuges, 5. self-vow (namely, Mahākāśyapa), 6. assembly of five, 7. assembly of ten, 8. the eight heavy dharmas, 9. sending a messenger, 10. the two assemblies. This means that among nuns, there was no 'Come, monk' (ehibhikṣuka), because after ‘Come, monk’ they were further conferred ordination. If according to the Dharmaguptaka school, the Cāturvargīya-vinaya lists: 1. ‘Come, monk’, 2. the supreme dharma—namely, becoming an aśaikṣa and realizing cessation with remainder is called the supreme dharma, whereupon one immediately obtains the precepts; as the Cāturvargīya-vinaya states: ‘If one cultivates the path and realizes the fruit of arhatship, that is called going forth and receiving the full precepts’ (whereas scriptures that speak of arhat śrāmaṇeras do not belong to our school’s tradition)—3. the Three Refuges, 4. the eight respects, 5. karman. What this means is that spontaneous ordination is subsumed under the supreme dharma, seeing the truth is subsumed under ‘Come, monk’, question and answer is subsumed under karman, and trusting the Buddha as the Great Teacher is subsumed under ‘Come, monk’. Moreover, since the schools differ, there is no need to harmonize them. If according to the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya: