The treasury of knowledge book five buddhist ethics buddhist ethics v 5 (23)

The Vows of Personal Liberation 135 This section has three parts: (1) timely lifting of restrictions, (2) untimely 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 ceremony] are to decorate the temple, to inform the [householders living in the] nearby villages, and to give the concluding 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 concerning 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 distributed [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 fifteenth 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 preside 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 136 Buddhist Ethics This ceremony to mark the end of the retreat is called “lifting the restrictions” because during the retreat, four [activities] that are potential causes of agitation in the community—allegations of downfalls, 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 comfortably On the occasion of the making and distribution of new robes, the kathina practice208 is performed This practice extends over a period 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 appointed 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 participated 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 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 The Vows of Personal Liberation 137 Regulations for Robes [2"] Robes include prescribed, accessory, and extra garments The thirteen prescribed robes should be colored by the appropriate 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 twenty-one, twentythree, or twenty-five patches [in the length], and four and a half [sections 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] 138 Buddhist Ethics The 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 measures—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 thirteen requisites (the patched robe, for instance) or additional garments, such as a second belt The Vows of Personal Liberation 139 Minor 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 respective 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 images, going for alms, listening to or expounding the doctrine, or assembling for a monastic ceremony The upper robe and the skirt, however, are worn as general daytime apparel These garments are not intended 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 monastery, 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 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 ... of the month, for up to five months [the period of relaxation of the rules for monks who have participated in the retreat], the robes remain in the care of the [appointed] monk who has received... 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... 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