妙法蓮華經文句 1.84

1.84

「比丘」者，肇師云：「秦言淨命，乞食、破煩惱、能持戒、怖魔等，天竺一名含此四義，秦無以翻，故存本稱。」什師云：「始出妻子家，應以乞食自資，清淨活命；終出三界家，必須破煩惱，持戒自守。具此二義，天魔怖其出境也。」《釋論》云：「怖魔、破惡、乞士，魔樂生死，其既出家復化餘人，俱離三界乖於魔意，魔用力制翻被五繫，但愁懼而已，故名怖魔。出家人必破身、口七惡，故言破惡。夫在家三種如法，一田、二商、三仕，用養身命；出家人佛不許此，唯乞自濟，身安道存，福利檀越，三義相成即比丘義也。」《涅槃》、《寶梁》皆舉破惡名比丘者，不具說也。今明此三義，應通初、後，如初出家時白四羯磨，無作戒力遍一切境，翻無作惡；初修禪定發定共戒，防伏意地貪、瞋不起；初修觀慧發相似道共戒，能伏煩惱。初心亦稱破惡，何獨後心耶？怖魔者，初剃髮、稟戒，已令魔愁，修定欲伏惱煩，修慧欲破煩惱，初心亦令魔怖，何獨後心耶？乞士者，初離邪命以乞自活、修禪歷境、求定修慧緣理求無漏，皆是乞士，何況相應而非乞士？具此義故通名比丘。依經家皆歎後心比丘耳，此皆三藏意。若歷緣求真名乞士，破障理之惑名破惡，修此行怖四魔，即通教義。若歷三諦求理名乞士，除通、別惑名破惡，怖八魔十魔者，即別義。若即生死求實相味名乞士，達煩惱即菩提名破惡，魔界即佛界者，是圓教義。若未發迹但明前二義，若已顯本，具後意也。

Regarding “bhikṣu”: Master Sengzhao said: “In the language of Qin, it means ‘pure livelihood’; begging for food, destroying afflictions, being able to maintain the precepts, and frightening Māra—in India, a single term contains these four meanings. In Qin there was no equivalent translation, so the original name was retained.” Master Kumārajīva said: “When first leaving the household of wife and children, one should sustain oneself by begging for food, living purely; finally, upon leaving the household of the triple realm, one must destroy afflictions and guard oneself by keeping the precepts. Possessing these two meanings, the heavenly demon is frightened that they will leave his realm.” The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: “Frightening Māra, destroying evil, and mendicant: Māra delights in birth and death; when someone leaves the household and furthermore transforms other people, both departing the triple realm, this goes against Māra’s will. Māra uses power to restrain them, yet is inversely bound by five ties and can only be sorrowful and fearful; hence the name ‘frightening Māra.’ Those who leave the household must destroy the seven evil deeds of body and speech, hence it is said ‘destroying evil.’ For householders there are three kinds of dharmic livelihood: first, farming; second, commerce; and third, civil service, used to sustain life. For renunciants, the Buddha did not permit these, allowing only begging to sustain oneself, so that the body is at peace, the Way is preserved, and blessings benefit the dānapati; these three meanings mutually complement each other and constitute the meaning of bhikṣu.” The Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Ratnakāraṇḍaka Sūtra both cite ‘destroying evil’ to define bhikṣu, which is not an exhaustive explanation. Now I clarify that these three meanings should apply to both the initial and final stages: as when first renouncing the household during the fourfold karmavācanā, the power of unmanifest precept extends throughout all realms, reversing unmanifest evil; when first cultivating dhyāna-meditation, the dhyāna-concomitant precepts arise, preventing and subduing greed and anger in the mental ground from arising; when first cultivating contemplative wisdom, the resembling path-concomitant precepts arise, able to subdue afflictions. The initial mind is also called ‘destroying evil’; why should it apply solely to the final mind? As for ‘frightening Māra’: when first shaving the hair and receiving the precepts, one already causes Māra sorrow; cultivating concentration to subdue afflictions and cultivating wisdom to destroy afflictions, the initial mind also causes Māra fright; why should it apply solely to the final mind? As for ‘mendicant’: initially leaving behind wrong livelihood to sustain oneself through begging, moving through sensory objects while cultivating meditation, seeking concentration and cultivating wisdom directed toward principle to seek the undefiled—all of these are ‘mendicants.’ How much more so when one is in resonance? Could one not be a mendicant? Endowed with these meanings, they are generally named bhikṣu. When relying on scripture, they all praise the bhikṣu of the final mind; these are all the intentions of the Tripiṭaka teaching. If one proceeds through conditions to seek the truth, this is called ‘mendicant’; destroying the delusions that obstruct principle is called ‘destroying evil’; cultivating this practice and frightening the four Māras is the meaning of the shared teaching. If one proceeds through the three truths to seek principle, this is called ‘mendicant’; eliminating shared and distinctive delusions is called ‘destroying evil’; frightening the eight Māras and ten Māras is the distinctive meaning. If one seeks the flavor of the true mark directly within birth and death, this is called ‘mendicant’; penetrating afflictions as identical to bodhi is called ‘destroying evil’; and recognizing the realm of Māra as identical to the realm of the Buddha is the meaning of the perfect teaching. If the traces have not yet been revealed, only the former two meanings are explained; if the origin has already been disclosed, it is endowed with the latter intentions.