大比丘三千威儀 1.2

1.2

The disciples of the Buddha are of two kinds: the first are householders, and the second are renunciants. For householders, first taking the five precepts is fundamental, barring the three evil destinies and seeking the blessings of humans and devas. Because they are not yet able to abandon forever the ties and burdens of family and kin, three additional precepts are added to aid the preceding five precepts, planting the causes and conditions for ultimate renunciation in future lives for one day and one night. For renunciants, practice has a beginning and an end, with higher, middling, and lower engagements. For the lower renunciants, taking the ten precepts is first fundamental, receiving and upholding them for the rest of their lives; although they abandon the causes, conditions, and manual labors of family and kin, with respect to laypeople they are renunciants, but with respect to those with full ordination they are still householders—this is called the lower renunciation. For the middling renunciants among them, they should next abandon the affairs of manual labor and fully receive the eighty-four thousand causes and conditions leading to the path; although they abandon occupational activities and worldly tasks, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of their practice are not yet fully purified, mental fetters still remain, and they have not attained liberation from worldly existence—being deficient when compared to the higher, but surpassing the lower—this is called the middling renunciation. For the higher renunciants, their faculties and minds are sharp and fierce, and they should next abandon the bonds of the saṃyojanas. To abandon the bonds of the saṃyojanas, one must attain the power of dhyāna-concentration and wisdom. When the power of dhyāna-concentration and wisdom is attained, the mind achieves liberation. Attaining liberation is called purifying the actions of body, speech, and mind, departing from the home of affairs and afflictions, and forever dwelling in the chamber of tranquility and refreshing coolness—this is called the higher renunciation.