Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 1Nātyavakṛṣṭaṁ nivāsayiṣyāma

Nātyavakṛṣṭaṁ nivāsayiṣyāma

AI Interpretation — Chinese Comparative Vinaya, No. Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 1

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Source Status

The full source text of this scripture entry has not been directly collated within the current database. The interpretation below is not a translation of an original scripture, nor does it reproduce specific teachings of the Buddha; it is solely an analysis based on elements identifiable from the supplied descriptive information, including: tradition, classification category, reference number, and Sanskrit title. Researchers should consult the corresponding Chinese-language text directly, or relevant specialist academic literature, for more accurate and complete information.

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Context

This entry belongs to the Chinese Comparative Vinaya — a collection that gathers and cross-references Vinaya texts from various Buddhist schools transmitted in the Chinese language. In the history of Indian Buddhism, following the period of the first council, the monastic community gradually divided into numerous schools, each maintaining its own distinct Vinaya system. Each school formed and preserved its own code of discipline, reflecting differences in the interpretation of precepts, monastic customs, and methods of transmission.

The reference number Lzh Mg Bi Vb Sk 1 suggests that this is the first entry (Sk 1) within a classification group related to Bhikkhunī (Bi — likely an abbreviation for Bhikkhunī), Vibhaṅga (Vb — the analytical section of the precepts), within Mahāgāma or an equivalent division (Mg), belonging to the Chinese-language textual tradition (Lzh). This type of text belongs to the genre of comparative Vinaya literature, enabling scholars to compare differences and similarities across various Vinaya traditions.

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Content Identifiable from Descriptive Information

The title Nātyavakṛṣṭaṁ nivāsayiṣyāma is a Sanskrit phrase that may be analyzed as follows:

• Na — the negation "not"
• Atyavakṛṣṭam — the condition of being pulled down excessively; specifically, a robe that is allowed to droop, trail, or be worn too low, in a manner that deviates from proper standards
• Nivāsayiṣyāma — "we shall wear" or "we shall robe ourselves," the first-person plural future form of the verb ni-vās (to wear robes, to robe oneself)

The full phrase may be rendered approximately as: "We shall not wear the robe in a manner that is excessively dragging" or "We vow not to robe ourselves in an overly careless or excessively untidy way."

This is one of the training rules (sikkhāpada) or codes of conduct pertaining to deportment in wearing the robe in the life of a Bhikkhunī, belonging to the Sekhiyā section (training rules concerning etiquette and deportment) or an equivalent section within the Vinaya system of the school under comparison. Training rules of this kind commonly appear in the Bhikkhunī Pātimokkha of numerous schools, regulating the manner of wearing the robe, carrying the bowl, walking, standing, and conducting oneself in various circumstances, in order to maintain the pure deportment befitting one who has gone forth.

The position Sk 1 likely indicates that this is the first training rule within the group of deportment rules (Sekhiyā) for Bhikkhunīs according to the tradition collated in this collection. However, since the full text has not yet been collated, any further inference regarding its detailed content is for reference only and requires further verification.

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Significance for Practice

Although a training rule concerning the manner of wearing the robe may appear simple in form, within the Buddhist tradition it carries profound significance for practice. Deportment in wearing the robe reflects the inner state of the practitioner: attentiveness, mindfulness, and respect for the living embodiment of the Dharma that one presents to the world.

A monastic who wears the robe improperly — allowing it to droop, appear disheveled, or lacking in neatness — not only demonstrates an absence of mindfulness in daily life, but may also cause a loss of faith among laypeople, thereby affecting the image of the Sangha and the true Dharma. For this reason, training rules concerning bodily deportment are regarded as the foundation of the holy life, constituting the outward expression of inner purity and composure.

In the context of the Comparative Vinaya — a scholarly work that places traditions side by side for comparison — this training rule further demonstrates that, despite the many differences among schools, the fundamental principles of deportment and mindfulness in the contemplative life constitute a common ground for the entire tradition of Buddhist renunciation. This is a testament to a profound underlying unity beneath the diversity of outward forms.

Students may approach this training rule as a reminder of mindfulness directed to the body (kāyagatāsati) — careful attention to each gesture and physical action — a method of practice praised by the Blessed One as leading to ease, concentration of mind, and liberation.

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Collation Notes

Since the descriptive information does not provide information concerning the specific Chinese source text, the name of the translator, or the corresponding bilingual collation, researchers are advised to consult the Chinese-translated Vinaya texts preserved in the Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō in order to locate the corresponding passage, and to refer to modern comparative Vinaya scholarship so as to verify the precise location and full context of this training rule within each of the relevant sectarian traditions.