Shuōzuì yàoxíng fǎ 說罪要行法
The Essential Method of Confessing Offences by 義淨 (Yìjìng, 撰)
About the work
A short single-fascicle Vinaya manual on the canonical practice of shuōzuì 說罪 (confession of offences) at the monthly poṣadha by Yìjìng 義淨 (義淨, 635–713). Author signature: 唐三藏法師義淨撰.
Prefaces
The work opens directly: 每於半月月盡憶所犯罪。準法而說 (“every fortnight at the end of the month, recalling the offences committed, declare them according to the rule”). The opening enumeration lists the typical offences: gùwàngyǔ 故妄語 (intentional false speech), yǐnjiǔ 飲酒 (consuming alcohol), fēishí shí 非時食 (eating outside permitted times), and others.
Abstract
The Shuōzuì yàoxíng fǎ completes the trio of Yìjìng’s short Vinaya manuals (KR6k0188, KR6k0189, KR6k0190) and is the most operational of the three: it presents the actual ritual formulary for the poṣadha confession. The CANWWW alternative-title Bié shuōzuì yàoxíng fǎ 別說罪要行法 (“the Distinct Essential Method of Confessing Offences”) is preserved in the canonical record (T45N1903 alt title) and indicates the manual’s distinct status as a complement to the standard poṣadha karman recitation. Composition belongs to Yìjìng’s post-695 Luòyáng / Chángān decades.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.