Dàojù fù 道具賦
A Rhapsody on the Implements of the Way by 元照 (Yuánzhào, 撰)
About the work
A short single-fascicle Northern-Sòng fù 賦 (rhapsody) by Yuánzhào (元照, 1048–1116, the Língzhī Dàzhì lǜshī), in three sub-rhapsodies on the three principal items of monastic equipment: the kāṣāya (Sānyī fù 三衣賦), the bowl (Tiěbō fù 鐵鉢賦), and the sitting-cloth (Zuòjù fù 坐具賦, i.e. the nisīdana). The internal title-line reads Dàzhì lǜshī Dàojù fù 大智律師道具賦. Pendant to Yǔnkǎn’s prose handbook on the same items (KR6k0212 Yībō míngyì zhāng), Yuánzhào’s fù casts the topic in literary verse.
Prefaces
No formal preface; the three fù are presented in succession.
Abstract
The Dàojù fù exemplifies the Sòng Língzhī school’s characteristic fusion of Vinaya rigour with high-literary form. Each rhapsody combines doctrinal exposition (Vinayatextual rules on dimensions, materials, dyeing, ritual handling) with classical-poetic figuration:
- Sānyī fù — opens Wú yǒu sān yī, gǔ shèng zhēnguī 吾有三衣古聖真規 (“I have three robes, the true canon of the ancient sages”) and proceeds through the rationale for hempen rather than silken cloth (silk = killing of silkworms = violation of the first precept), the huàisè 壞色 dyeing in qīng 青, hēi 黑 and mùlán 木蘭, and the protective merits of the robe (lóng bèi miǎn jīnchì zhī huò 龍被免金翅之禍 — “the dragon, being covered, escaped the Garuḍa’s catastrophe”; rén dé xī zhàndí zhī wēi 人得息戰歒之危 — “men obtained respite from the hazards of battle”).
- Tiěbō fù — opens Wú yǒu tiěbō, cáizhì hé zhé 吾有鐵鉢裁製合轍 (“I have an iron bowl, fashioned to standard”), with detailed description of the bowl’s dòubàn 斗半 capacity, zhúyān xūnzhì 竹煙熏治 (bamboo-smoke seasoning) finish, and the wǔguān 五觀 contemplations to be observed at mealtime.
- Zuòjù fù — on the nisīdana, opens Wú yǒu zuòjù, cáiliáng yǒu jù 吾有坐具裁量有據, treating the cloth’s twolayered construction, its proper four-by-three cùn dimensions, and its use in ān chán 安禪 (sitting Chán) and jiǎng fǎ 講法 (teaching).
Composition is bracketed by Yuánzhào’s mature career at Língzhīsì; notBefore–notAfter are accordingly set 1080–1116. The fù has been a standard recital piece in monastic novice-training since the Sòng.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Other points of interest
- One of the very few Sòng monastic fù — the rhapsodic form was rare in Buddhist literary writing.
- The piece reads as a literary-aesthetic counterpart to Yǔnkǎn’s prose KR6k0212 Yībō míngyì zhāng — together they form a pair on the dàojù.
Links
- CBETA online: https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/X1100
- 元照 DILA
- Kanseki DB