The timely [lifting of restrictions] is performed on the full moon when the three months of the rainy season retreat have passed.. The untimely lifting of restrictions is performed [eith
Trang 1This section has three parts: (1) timely lifting of restrictions, (2) un-timely lifting of restrictions, and (3) unexpected or sudden lifting of restrictions in the case of special necessity
The timely [lifting of restrictions] is performed on the full moon when the three months of the rainy season retreat have passed The extended preparations [to be started seven days before this cer-emony] are to decorate the temple, to inform the [householders liv-ing in the] nearby villages, and to give the concludliv-ing discourses
on the doctrine throughout the night of the fourteenth, [the evening
of the lifting of restrictions] The immediate preparations take place
on the day of the fifteenth: [these include] mutual requests by the monks for pardon [for any faults that occurred during the retreat], followed by reconciliation through a proposal made by the monk appointed [to lift the restrictions] The main part [of the ceremony]
is performed [by each monk kneeling in turn in front of the appointed monk] while holding quitch grass207 and reciting the appropriate words three times With this threefold recitation, the restrictions con-cerning downfalls are lifted Once done, the appointed monk then lifts the restrictions concerning articles, in order that the donations made by the laity during the rainy season retreat may be distrib-uted [among the members of the order] As the conclusion, on the day of the sixteenth, the monks travel around the district in order to eliminate excessive attachment that may have developed toward the place [of retreat]
The untimely lifting of restrictions is performed [either on the fif-teenth or thirtieth of the lunar calendar] when, through the force of circumstances, [it is necessary to end the retreat] before the three months of the rainy season have passed
The unexpected lifting of restrictions is performed collectively [with each monk standing before another] [on any day] when the entire monastic community must suddenly disperse, as in the outbreak of war The same procedure must also be followed when a monk must leave the retreat permanently due to particular circumstances
If there are no more than four monks, the proposal and the lifting
of restrictions may be performed without appointing a monk to pre-side over the ceremony If there are no more than three or even just two monks, a permission rite for lifting restrictions [is sufficient] If there is none other than oneself, one repeats just the main part [of the appropriate formula] three times
Trang 2This ceremony to mark the end of the retreat is called “lifting the restrictions” because during the retreat, four [activities] that are po-tential causes of agitation in the community—allegations of down-falls, punitive measures, distribution of the offerings, and spending one night outside of the boundaries—had been prohibited With this ceremony, the restrictions [on these activities] are lifted
Conditions for Living Comfortably [ii']
This section has two parts: (1) robes, and (2) food and medicine
Robes [aa']
Robes and related articles are discussed under three headings: (1) their making and distribution, (2) regulations, and (3)the use of leather articles
The Making and Distribution of Monastic Robes [1"]
The making and distribution of robes constitutes a basis of training concerned with conditions for living comfortably.
Robes and medicine are the two conditions for a monk to live com-fortably On the occasion of the making and distribution of new robes, the kathina practice208 is performed This practice extends over a pe-riod of relaxation of rules.209
On the day following the lifting of restrictions at the conclusion of the earlier or later rainy season retreat, the new robes made from cloth that has been donated [by the laity] during the retreat to the monastic community as a whole are entrusted to [a monk] who has been ap-pointed through a formal procedure of the monastic community [to protect them].210
From that day, the sixteenth day of the month, for up to five months [the period of relaxation of the rules for monks who have partici-pated in the retreat], the robes remain in the care of the [appointed] monk who has received them according to the ceremony of “laying out the robes.” The appointed monk must not carry the robes outside the boundaries, or leave them in an unclean building or unsheltered place From time to time, he must air them, dust them off, and so on The kathina practice is said to have ten advantages211: the monks who participate in it212 do not incur the three downfalls of “keeping,”
“being without [the monastic robes],” and “retaining [cloth],” etc This [aspect of the monastic discipline] was not practiced in Tibet since the relaxation of the rules was prohibited by royal decree.213
Trang 3Regulations for Robes [2"]
Robes include prescribed, accessory, and extra garments.
The thirteen prescribed robes should be colored by the appro-priate dyes.
Clothing for the monastic way of life is of three types: (1) prescribed, (2) accessory, and (3) extra garments
The prescribed garments are not to be made from cloth that has been
wrongfully procured The cloth should be neither too poor nor too fine: robes may be made from any of seven appropriate materials214 such as wool, but not made from unsuitable materials such as camel
or goat hair, and must not be shaggy or have fringe The cloth is not
to be colored by any of the eight valuable dyes that are inappropriate for monks’ use, but colored instead in one of the three appropriate dyes [Vishakadeva’s Stanzas on the Discipline] states215:
Red cochineal, poppy, Bengal madder,
Red sanders, indigo, vermilion,
Red lead [minium] and saffron
Are the eight valuable dyes.
While,216
The appropriate [colors for] dyes
Are blue, red-ocher, and orange 217
Moreover, as a general rule, the cloth [for making robes] must have been cut into pieces As is said:
One must not keep cloth that has not been cut.
After having been cut, [the cloth for] any of the thirteen garments is sewn according to the prescribed size [The thirteen garments are the following:] the patched robe, the upper robe, the skirt, the underskirt, the night underskirt, the sweat cloth, the night sweat cloth, the towel, the gauze for wounds, the flannel for skin rash, the sheet to collect hair when shaving, the mat, and the rain cloak
The patched robe may be one of three dimensions, large, small, and
medium The prescribed size for the large patched robe is three cubits
in width and five in length It may be made with one, twenty-three, or twenty-five patches [in the length], and four and a half [sec-tions in the width]
The size for the small patched robe is a half cubit less [than the large one] in each dimension It may be made with nine, eleven, or thirteen patches [in the length] arranged with two and a half sections [in the width]
Trang 4The medium patched robe’s size is in between the sizes of the large and the small patched robe It may be made with fifteen, seventeen,
or nineteen patches [in the length], arranged with three and a half [sections in the width]
The upper robe must have seven lengthwise patches and two and a
half widthwise sections, but may be any one of the three dimensions prescribed for the patched robe
The skirt218 has five lengthwise patches and one and a half widthwise sections Its dimensions are two cubits in width and five in length, or
at the very least, large enough to cover the three areas.219 If this does not suffice due to the body being stout, one square cubit of cloth may
be added on Generally, the term cubit refers to any of three mea-sures—a cubit [measured in relation to] a particle, a cubit [measured
in relation to] the hand, or a cubit [measured on] the body; what is meant in this context is the cubit [measured on one’s own] body This
is stated in the Summary of Discipline220:
The measure of a cubit is two-sevenths of the body’s height.
The underskirt and night underskirt are the same size as the skirt
and are worn under it, during the day and at night, respectively The sweat cloth and the night sweat cloth used to absorb perspiration
are the same size as the upper robe and are worn under it, during the day and at night, respectively
The towel measures one cubit in length and width; the gauze for wounds equals the size of the upper robe; and the sheet to collect hair when shaving measures three cubits in length and one and a half in
width The flannel to relieve skin rash measures six cubits long and three
cubits wide; the mat measures three cubits long and two cubits plus
six finger-widths wide, and has one and a half widthwise sections The rain cloak for the rainy season is nine cubits in length and three
cubits and eight finger-widths in width
Accessory garments refers to any pieces of cloth the monk considers
valuable that have not been stitched on the model of any of the above thirteen robes, and that are of various types measuring a [square] cubit or more, for example, a piece of silk, brocade, or felt Included
in this category are also [the unstitched material for] hat or belt, etc., that the monk considers part of his robes
Extra articles refers to clothes sewn on the model of any of the
thir-teen requisites (the patched robe, for instance) or additional garments, such as a second belt
Trang 5Minor articles belonging to the category of prescribed garments are items like a [first] hat, shoes, and a belt; minor articles belonging
to the categories of accessory and extra are items [like pieces of cloth], the use of which should be predetermined and the size less than a square cubit All these articles must be consecrated by their respec-tive rituals.221
These are the garments worn by renunciates on a regular basis The patched robe, however, is worn exclusively by full-fledged monks or nuns on specific occasions such as when prostrating before sacred im-ages, going for alms, listening to or expounding the doctrine, or as-sembling for a monastic ceremony The upper robe and the skirt, how-ever, are worn as general daytime apparel These garments are not in-tended to increase the monk’s pride or other negative emotions, but to remind him of his discipline When they have become old and can no longer be repaired, they should be [cut into tiny pieces,] mixed with earth, and used to seal the crevices of reliquaries, or for similar purposes
The Use of Leather Articles [3"]
Leather seat and shoes are permitted in special cases.
Leather may be used in special circumstances In central India, monks and nuns were given permission by the Buddha to wear leather shoes only when necessary in order not to spoil the monks’ quarters; and to sit on, but not sleep on, a leather seat in a place other than the monas-tery, such as the house of a layman, provided there is no other seat
In the remote regions, the use of leather shoes and beds is allowed for monks and nuns so that they may protect themselves against cold However, some stipulations do apply: it is not appropriate to wear studded boots that make noise or fancy ones such as those with many colors or adorned with gold and silver ornaments The Buddha also permitted the wearing of high boots and hats in regions [like Tibet] where the lakes freeze.222
Food and Medicine [bb']
The four types of food and medicine
Are those permissible before noon, within a day, seven days, or kept until one is cured of an illness.
The foods and medicines that allow a monk to live comfortably are of four types The first, foods that must be consumed before noon, refers to