示衣財體如非
The Nature of Robes and Material Goods: Giving and Not Giving
業疏(四上)云。但以邪心。有涉貪染。為利賣法。禮佛讀經斷食諸業。所獲贓賄。皆曰邪命物。正乖佛化。故特制也。如經中說。比丘持糞掃衣就河所洗。諸天取汁。用洗自身不辭穢也。外道持淨氎。次後將洗。諸天遙遮勿污池也。由邪命得。體不淨故。以此文證。心清淨者。是正本也。雖求清淨。財體應法。綾羅錦繡。俱不合故。世多用絹紬者。以體由害命特須制約。今五天及諸胡僧。俱無用絹作袈裟者。親問彼云。以衣為梵服。行四無量。審知行殺。而故服之。義不應也。以法衣順道。錦色班綺。耀動心神。青黃五綵。真紫上色。流俗所貪。故齊削也。資持(下一)云。感通傳中天人云。佛法東傳。六七百載。南北律師。曾無此意。安用殺生之財。而為慈悲之服。師何獨拔此意。祖師答曰。余因讀智論。見佛着麤布伽棃因懷在心。何得乖此。及聽律後。便見蚕衣臥具。縱得已成。並斬壞塗埵。由此重增景仰。又云復見西來梵僧。咸著布㲲。具問答云。五天笁國。無著蚕衣。由此興念著章服儀等義淨三藏內法傳中。反加毀誹。彼學小乘有部。故多偏執。今宗大乘了義。非彼所知。
The (Volume Four, Part One) of the *Yishu* (Commentary on the Monastic Code) says: When someone uses a deviant mind, engages in greed and defilement, and sells the Dharma for profit—whether by bowing to Buddhas, reading sutras, or fasting—whatever gain they obtain is all called "improper livelihood goods." This directly contradicts the Buddha's teaching, and so it was specifically prohibited. As the sutras say: A monk took his rag-robe to the river to wash it, and the devas scooped up the water to wash themselves, not disdaining its impurity. A non-Buddhist held a clean woolen cloth and came afterward to wash it, but the devas blocked him from afar, lest he foul the pond. This was because the cloth was obtained through improper livelihood, and its very substance was impure. From this scriptural evidence, we know that purity of mind is the true standard. Even if one seeks purity, the material substance of wealth must accord with the Dharma—silk, gauze, brocade, and embroidery are all impermissible. People in the world often use plain silk and coarse silk, but because the very substance of silk comes from taking life, it must be specifically restricted. Nowadays, in the five regions of India and among monks from various foreign lands, none use silk to make their kāṣāya robes. When I asked them directly, they said: "Since the robe is the Brahma-garment for practicing the Four Immeasurables, and we know full well that silk involves killing living beings, to wear it deliberately would be contrary to principle." The Dharma-robe accords with the Way, but brocade colors and ornate patterns dazzle and disturb the mind. Blue, yellow, and the five colors, along with true purple and other fine shades—these are what worldly people covet, and so they are all cut away equally.
The *Zichi* (next section) says: In the *Gantong Zhuan*, a celestial being said: "Since the Buddha's teaching spread eastward, some six or seven hundred years have passed, and yet the Vinaya masters of both north and south have never had this intention—how could they use goods obtained by taking life to make robes of compassion? Why does the Master alone single out this point?" The Patriarch replied: "I once read the *Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom* and saw that the Buddha wore a cloth kāṣāya, and I took this to heart. How could I go against it? Later, when I studied the Vinaya, I saw that silk robes and bedding, even if already made, were all to be cut up and destroyed or smeared with mud. Because of this, my reverence deepened all the more." He also said: "I further observed monks coming from the West, all wearing cloth and felt. When I questioned them in full, they answered: 'In the five regions of India, no one wears silk.' From this I was moved to write the *Zhangfu Yi* and other works."
The Tripitaka Master Yijing, in his *Nanhai Jigui Neifa Zhuan* (Record of the Inner Dharma Sent Back from the Southern Sea), instead added criticism and slander. He studied the Small Vehicle's Sarvāstivāda school, and so was largely biased and attached. Our tradition follows the Great Vehicle's definitive meaning, which was beyond his understanding.