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A Record of the Buddhist Religion, As Practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (a.d. 671–695) - Max Muller, 1896 - Complete Book

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(One p‘i in the text=about 213 yards in Japan.) A sickness may befall one on a sudden, and a means of procuring medicine hastily sought is difficult to obtain. For this reason az extra cloth was ordained to be kept prepared beforehand, and as this is necessary at the time of illness, one should never use it otherwise. In the way leading to religious practice and charity, the chief object is universal salvation. There are three - classes of men as regards their ability, and they cannot all be led in one and the same way. The four Refuges’, the four Actions*, and the thirteen Dhfitangas * were ordained for men of superior faculties. 1 Four Refuges: (1) PAamsuk@likahga; (2) Paindapatikanga; (3) Vr7ksha- m@likdaga ; (4) PatimAtrabhaishagya. For 1, 2, and 3, see note to the thirteen Dhitaigas below ; and for 4, see chap. xxix, pp. 138-139. * Four (proper) Actions are given in the Mflasarvastivadaikasatakarman, chap. i (I-tsing’s translation, No. 1131 in Nanjio’s Catalogue): (1) Not returning slander for slander ; (2) Not returning anger for anger ; (3) Not meeting insult with insult; (4) Not returning blow for blow. 3 Thirteen Dhfitangas are certain ascetic practices, the observance of which is meritorious in a Buddhist priest. These are sometimes enumerated as ‘twelve’ Dhfitaguaas, see Kasawara’s Dharmasangraha LXIII. Pau CHINESE LITERAL TRANSLATION OF @ EXPLANATION, THE CHINESE. 1. Pamsukfilikahgam Bo ti K Having the garments made (Skt. Pamsukilika, 11) of rags from the dust- heap (p4msu). 2. Teéfvarikangam 48. RK Zz AK Becoming a man who wears (Skt. Traifivarika, 2) only (three) garments. 3. Pindapatikangam a 4, gE Begging constantly. (Skt. Paindapatika, 1) 4. Sapaddnaddrikangam HK 6 4, FE Begging from door to door. Pie eee “ - ‘NECESSARY FOOD AND CLOTHING. 57 The possession of rooms, the acceptance of gifts, and the thirteen Necessaries are allowed both to the medium and inferior classes of. priests. Hence those whose wishes are few are free from faulty indul- gence in luxury, and those who require more do not suffer from want. Great is the compassionate Father (the Buddha), who skilfully answers the wants of every kind, who is the good leader among men and devas. He is called the ‘ Tamer of the Human Steed’ (purushadamyasarathi). The passage relating to a hundred and one possessions (of which the Chinese school of Vinaya, Nan-shan, is wont to speak) is not found in the Vinaya text of the four Nikayas. Although there ig a certain reference, in some Sfitras, to ‘One hundyed and one possessions,’ yet it is meant for a special occasion. Even in the house of a layman whose possessions are many, the family possessions do not amount to fifty in number ; is it likely that the Son of the Sakya (i.e. Sakyaputra), whose earthly attachments have been shaken Be Ete — Ip RK Eating at one sitting. (Skt. anika, 7 6. Pattapindikahgam Ke Begging with a bowl. (Deest) ‘ 7. KhalupaééAabhattikangam QV Ht gg & Not receiving food twice (or (Skt. Khalupaséadbhaktika, 3) ~~ afterwards). 8. Araftakahgam FE (it BA HE Living in an Aranya (forest). (Skt. Aravzyaka, 9) ‘ g. Rukkhamflikahgam red) T Sitting under a tree. (Skt. Vrikshamillika, 6) to, Abbhokisikangam = iE tt Residing in an unsheltered (Skt. Abhyavak4sika, 8) : place. 11, Sos&nikangam We tk 4E Visiting a cemetery. (Skt, Smasinika, 10) 12. Yathdsanthalikahgam KS JE ops Taking any seat that may (Skt. Yathasamstarika, 5) be provided. 13. Nesaggikangam op A Being in a sitting posture (Skt. Naishadyika, 4) (even while sleeping). I give the Pali names because the number and order of the thirteen given in the Commentary exactly correspond with the Pali; see Dhfitahgam, Childers. The above 4 and 6 are wanting in the Sanskrit, while a new Dhfitaguaa called ‘ Nama- tika,’ i.e. ‘wearing a felt, is added, see Aullavagga V, 11, 1, note 3, 5.B.E., ’ 58 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. .- x. off, should possess more than one hundred things? Whether this is permissible or not can be ascertained by appealing to reason. s to fine and rongh silk, these are allowed by the Buddha. What is*the use of laying down rules for a strict prohibition of silk? The prohibition was laid down by some one; though intended for lessening complication, such a rule increases it. The four Nikayas of the Vinaya of all the five parts of India use (a si/k garment). Why should we reject the silk that is easy to be obtained, and seek the fine linen that is diffi- cult to be procured? Is not this the greatest hindrance to religion? Such a rule may be classed with the forcible prohibitions that have never been laid down (by the Buddha). . The result is that curious students of the Vinaya increase their self-conceit and cast slight upon others (who are using silk). People who are disinterested and less avaricious are much ashamed of such, and say: ‘How is it that they regard self-denial as a help to religion?’ But if (the refusal of the use of silk) comes from the highest motive of pity, because silk is manufactured by injuring life, it is quite reason- able that they should avoid the use of silk to exercise compassion on animate beings. Let it be so; the cloth one wears, and the food one eats, mostly come from an injury to life. The earthworms (that one may tread on while walking) are never thought of; why should the silkworm alone be looked after? If one attempts to protect every being, there will be no means of maintaining oneself, and one has to give up life without reason. A proper consideration shows us that such @ practice is not right. There are some who do not eat ghee or cream, do not wear leather boots, and do not put on any silk or cotton. All these are the same class of people as are mentioned above. Now as to killing. If a life be destroyed intentionally, a result of this action (Karma) will be expected ; but if not intentionally, no guilt will be incurred, according to the Buddha’s words. The three kinds of meat! that are pure are ordained as meats that can be eaten without incurring guilt. If the spirit of this rule be disregarded, it will involve some offence though small. (In eating the three kinds of meat), we have no intention of killing, and therefore we have a cause or reason that makes our eating of flesh NECESSARY FOOD AND CLOTHING. 59 guiltless. (Such meat is as pure) as any other thing-which we receive as a gift, and therefore we have an example (or instance) which helps us in making our reasoning very clear. When the cause and instance (of our eating flesh) are so clear and faultless, then the doctrine we advocate becomes also clear and firm. Now the three branches of reasoning have been as clearly constructed as above, and besides, we have the golden words of the Buddha to the same effect. What then is the use of arguing any further? As a doubtful reading of ‘Five Hundred’ (for ‘Five Days’) has been originated by the pen of an author, and a mistaken idea about ‘Three Pigs’ (for ‘Earth-Boar’) has also been received as true by the believers’, (so people are led to confusion if we go on arguing things too much.) Such deeds as begging personally for cocoons containing silkworms, or witnessing the killing of the insects, are not permissible, even to a layman, much less to those whose hearts aspire to final emancipation. These deeds, when looked at in this light, prove themselves to be quite impermissible. But supposing a donor (i.e. Danapati) should bring and present (some such thing as silk cloth), then a priest should utter the word ‘Anumata’ (i.e. ‘ approved’), and accept the gift in order to have a means of supporting his body while he cultivates the virtues ; no guilt will be incurred by so doing. (The ecclesiastic garments used in the five parts of India are stitched and sewn at random, with no regard to the threads ” of cloth being lengthway or crossway. The period of making (them)’ does not exceed three or five days. I think that a full piece of silk can be made into one cassock * of five lengths, and into another of seven lengths, the ining lengths being three fingers wide, the collar, an inch. This collar has three rows of stitching, while the lining pieces are all sewn together. These cassocks are used in performing a ceremony as occasion may demand. And why should we use a good and excellent one? 1 [-tsing is here trying to construct a syllogism according to the Indian logic ; my translation of these passages is as literal as possible, though I am obliged to put in some words in brackets. ° A for WB ad = For p % are used as instances of mistakes in writing or misprints, but I cannot state how these mistakes came about. 5 Kashdya,’ the yellow robe, Poa 60 A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. x. Economy is aimed at in uSing a ragged garment}. One may sametimes gather pieces left on dust-heaps, sometimes pick up abandoned rags in the cemetery groves ; when one has accumulated them, one stitches them together and uses the cassock made of them to protect the body against the cold and hot weather. There are some, however, who say that in the -Ninaya texts the ‘thing to lie on’ is the same thing as the three gar- ments (i.e. Trizivara); but when it became evident that, (among the ‘ things. to tig on’), one which is made of the silk from wild cocoons was prohibited, a strange idea was introduced, and it was considered that the priestly garments should not be of silk, and the priests became very particular about choosing linen as the material. But they di not know that in the original text the thing to lie on was, from the beginning, a mattress. _ (Kauseya?(n.) is the name for silkworms, and the silk which is reared from them is also called by the same name Kauseya*(n.); it is avery valu- able thing and is prohibited to be used (for a mattress).