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Golden Neighbours) is, according to K4syapa, the same as ‘Chin Chou’ (lit. Golden Island), which corresponds to Skt. Suvarna-dvipa. The ‘Golden Island’ is the name once applied, by I-tsing, to Sumatra or at any rate to Sribhoga, where gold is said to have been abundant. Yit-lin (lit. Gem-hill) is, KAsyapa says, Yu-mén-kwan (lit, Gem-gate-pass), which was constructed near the Ko-ko River (probably Ko-ko-nor). * We do not know the origin of this story; but Korea is sometimes called Ki-lin, ‘ cock-forest.’ D 18 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. have retired to a deep valley, where they wash their mouths We the water of the stony stream or sit in woody thickets tranquillising their thoughts. Walking and worshipping six times a day, they strive to requite thep benefits conferred by those of pure faith ; engaged in deep meditation twice a gight, they become worthy of the respect of gods and men. These actions are authorised by the Sitras and the Vinaya. How can there be a fault here? But on account of some misinterpretations handed dow, the disciplinary rules have suffered, and errors constantly repeated become customs which are contrary to the original principles. Therefore, according to the noble teaching and the principal customs actually carried on in India, I have carefully written the following articles which are forty in number, and have divided them into four books. This is called ‘ Nan-hai-chi-kuei-nai-fa-ch'uan, i.e. ‘The Record of the Sacred Law, sent home from the Southern Sea.’ I am sending you with this another work of mine, ‘Ta-t'ang-si-yu-ku-fa~kao-séng- ch'uan, i.e. ‘Memoirs of Eminent Priests who visited ‘India and Neighbouring Countries to search for the Law under the Great T'ang Dynasty’ (A.D. 618-907), and several Sdtras and SAstras, in all, ten books’. I hope that the venerable priests with mind intent on the promulgation of their religion, without having any prejudice, will act with discrimination and in accordance with the teaching and practice of the Buddha, and that they will not disregard the weighty: laws described in this work because they deem the author of no note. Further, the principles and purports of the Satras and Sastras handed . down by the ancients minutely correspond with the DhyAna (meditation) doctrine (of India), but the secrets of calm meditation are difficult to de: scribe to you in my message. I have, therefore, only roughly sketched the practices of the Law which accord with the Vinaya doctrine, in order to send home in advance, and lay before you the words which rest on the authority of my teachers. My life may sink with the setting sun : this day, still I work to do something worthy of the promotion of the Law; the burning Light may go out at the early dawn, yet I hope > Among these, there were N&g4rguna’s Suhrillekha, MAtrzke/a’s hymn in 10 verses. the Anitva-sttra and otherc. INTRODUCTION. ‘19 that hundreds of lamps may continue to burn for the future, If you read this Record of mine, you may, without moving one step, travel in all the five countries of India, and before you spend a minute you may become a mirror of the dark path for a thousand ages to come. Will you, I pray, read and examine carefully the Tripizaka, and beat the Ocean of the Law, as it were, to stir up the four waves!; and resting on the authority of the five skandhas, launch the ship of compassion to carry across the beings who are plunged into the six desires. Although I have received the personal direction from my teachers, and have fully examined the deep purport of our doctrine, I must, nevertheless, further deepen and expand my knowledge; for if I do not, I am afraid I shall be an object of ridicule in the ‘eye of wisdom,’ The following are the contents of the work :— I De 3. 4. ot NN oO Il 12, 13. I4. 15. 16. 7. 18, 19. 20, The non-observance of the Varsha does not entail degradation: Behaviour towards the honoured ones. Sitting on a small chair at dinner. Distinction between pure and impure food. Cleansing after meals. . Two jugs for keeping water. . The morning inspection of the water with regard to insects. . Use of a tooth-wood in the morning. . Rules of the Upavasatha ceremony. . Special requirements as to raiment and food. Method of vestments. Garments of a nun.—Rules of burial ceremonies. Rules as'to sacred enclosures, The Varsha of the Parishads. The period of Pravarava (relaxation after the Varsha). The mode of using spoons and chopsticks. Proper times for religious worship. On evacuation. Regulations for ordination. The proper occasions for ablutions. 20. A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. 21, Concerning the mat to sit on. 22. Rules of sleeping and resting. 23. On the advantage of proper exercise to health. 24. Worship not mutually dependent. 25. Behaviour between teacher and pupil. 26. Conduct towards strangers or friends. 27. On symptoms of bodily illness. 28. Rules on giving medicine. 29. Hurtful medical treatment must not be practised. 39. On turning to the right in worship. - 3t. Rules of decorum in cleansing the sacred objects of worship. 32. The ceremony of chanting. 33. The unlawful revérence to the sacred objects, 34° Rules for leafning i in India. 35. On the propriety of long hair. 36. On disposing of the property of a deceased priest. 37. Use of the property of the Brotherhood. 38. The burning of the body is unlawful. 39. The bystanders become guilty. ‘40. Such hurtful actions were not practised by the virtuous of old. All the things mentioned in this work are in accordance with the Aryamtlasarvastivadanikaya, and ‘should not be confounded with the teaching of other schools. The matters contained in this work resemble generally the Vinaya of the Das&dhydya (Ten Readings). There are three subdivisions! of the Aryamdlasarvastivadanikaya : 1, The Dharmagupta ; 2. the Mahisdsaka; 3. the KAsyapiya.. These three do not prevail in India, except in the following places : Udyana, Kharazar, and Kustana, where there are some who practise the rules laid down ig these schools. The-Vinaya of the So-called Dasadhydya (Ten Readings), (though not unlike), does not belong to the Aryamflasarvastivada school. > Cf. p. 8, iii; there we have four subdivisions and here only three. That is, one school is called. M@lasarvAstivada, and as it is the same name as that of the original school, I-tsing does not name it separately here. BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS THE HONOURED. at CHAPTER I. REGARDING THE NON-OBSERVANCE OF THE VARSHA (OR VASSA, SUMMER RETREAT). THE Bhikshus who did not observe the Varsha? fail, of course, to obtain the ten benefits? derived from it, but there i is no reason why they should be degraded from their original position in the Order to a lower place. Nor is it seemly for a priest to be obliged to suddenly alter his action and pay respect to an inferior, one day, from whom but the day before he received due honour. Such degradation in rank was customary, however, (in China), though without any authority or proof in its support. For if, when observing the Varsha, one accept an invitation outside, it is _ as great a fault as theft. One should, therefore, carefully examine the principles 0” which the custom rests, and should fiever disregard them. The rank of a Bhikshu ought to be determined by the date of his ordination. ° Even if he have not observed the Varsha, let him not be sepaaeA. If we read and examine the teaching of the Buddha, there is no muphonty in it (for this custom). a Then who at some former date introduced this practice (aii the Chinese) ? ‘ CHAPTER II. BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS THE HONOURED. ACCORDING to the teaching of the Buddha, when a priest is in presence * of the holy image, and approaches the honoured teachers, it is right for 1 Varsha is originally ‘ rainy season,’ including four months from the middle of June to the middle of October. These four months are a eriod of retreat forsthe: Buddhist priests, who are forbidden to travel, but live in some place away from their monasteries, ‘This summer retreat is called the Varsha (Vassa in P4li), and kept up as the most important period in the Buddhist life. For further particulars see Childers’ Pali Dictionary, s.v., and Mahavagga III, 8. B.E., vol. xviii. 2 Ten benefits are possession of garments, freedom in sojourning, &c.; the five privileges are given in Mah4vagga VII, 1, 3, and the Vinaya-sangraha (Nanjio’s Catal., No. 1127). Z 22 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. Ul, him, éxcept in case of illness, to have his feet bare; he is never allowed to put on sandals before teachers or images, and must always have his right shoulder bare and the left covered with his cloak, wearing-no cap. He may walk about (with sandals, Ge), in other places without blame, if he have (his superior’s) permission. (In a cold region, a priest is allowed to wear small sandals or any kind of shoes suitable to the ‘climate. Countries lying in different latitudes (lit. directions) have widely different climates. In following the teaching of the Buddha, some rules must admit of slight modification. It may reasonably be allowed that we should temporarily wear more clothes in the months of severe winter in order to protect the body, but during the warm spring and summer, one ought strictly to live in accordance with the Vinaya rules! That one should not walk round the holy stdpa with sandals on was taught expressly from the beginning. . And it has long been proclaimed that a priest must never approach the temple (lit. gandhakuzi) with his slippers? on. But there are some who perpetually disobey the rules; and it is indeed a grave insult to the golden rule of our Buddha. CHAPTER III. ON SITTING ON A SMALL CHAIR AT DINNER.