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424
S. B. DEO The Hurried Reading :
Normally, the monks were to study the sūtras with proper care, digesting all the material they read. Hence, a hurried and a superficial reading of a text (utsāra) was not allowed, as it led to mutual competition, half-hearted knowledge, 'mithyātva', extinction of proper knowledge and the endangering of self-control. This half-hearted study was likely to lead to the condemnation not only of the disciple but even of the guru.
In cases of calamities and emergencies, however, only those who were well-versed in the lore, who knew the fit and the unfit persons, who were desirous of liberation and who made efforts to understand the sūtra day and night, were allowed to consent to others doing the hurried reading.
Even when permitted, only he who had acquired tranquillity of mind, who was always engaged in the studies, or was attached to the guru (pratibaddha), was of ideal behaviour (samvigna), had special powers with him (salabdhika), who never gave up his proper appearance or mode of life (linga), who was intelligent (medhāvin), who was easily enlightened, and who was careful in his movements (yogakārakah), was allowed to perform the ‘utsārakalpa.'
Why was this done?
In case the members of a certain gaccha were not able to procure clothes, bowls, bedding, etc. in a certain village where people were disinterested in religion, then such a monk who could procure these things was made to study the rules of 'vastraişaņā' hurriedly, and sent for that purpose even though he was normally not fit for it.241
If a certain text was unique and a particular ācārya was the only person who knew it, then, in order to save the text from extinction, its reading was given even to an unfit disciple if there was nobody else available 242 Types of Books:
Five kinds of books were taken to be unfit to be carried by the monks. They were the 'gandīpustaka,' the kacchao,' the 'mustī°, the 'samputaphalakao and the 'chedapātī°.' These, being heavy, were difficult to carry. The other defects of such books were that they generally gave rise to small insects, were likely to injure the shoulder, and were misinterpreted by the robbers who suspected the burden as containing some valuables.243
241. Ibid. Vol. I, 715-40. 242. Ibid. Vol. V, 5210. 243. Ibid. Vol. IV, 3822-27.
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