Shāmí wēiyí 沙彌威儀
The Decorums of the Novice Monk by 求那跋摩 (Guṇavarman, 譯)
About the work
A one-fascicle compendium of behavioural norms for śrāmaṇera 沙彌 (novice monks), translated by Guṇavarman (求那跋摩) at Jiànkāng in 431 CE.
Prefaces
Translator’s colophon: 宋罽賓沙門求那跋摩譯.
Abstract
The text is a practical handbook for the novice monk’s daily conduct: how to wear robes, eat, walk, sit, speak with seniors, conduct alms-rounds, etc. Together with KR6k0060 (anonymous Shāmí shíjiè fǎ bìng wēiyí), this text provides the foundational behavioural norms for śrāmaṇera training in Chinese Buddhism. Guṇavarman’s authorship reflects his broader project of transmitting the Indian foundational disciplinary literature to early-medieval Chinese monasticism.
Translations and research
- Hirakawa Akira 平川彰. Ritsuzō no kenkyū. Tokyo: Sankibō, 1960.
- Welter, Albert. The Linji lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. — On the early wēiyí literature.