法華義疏 1.175

1.175

「比丘」者，名為乞士，上從如來乞法以練神，下就俗人乞食以資身，故名乞士；世之乞人但乞衣食不乞於法，不為比丘。又雖復乞食亦異世人之乞，退無積畜之累、進有福物之功，故自利利他，異於世間乞求之人也。餘怖魔、破惡、淨命，如《智度論》中廣說也。

A "monk" (bhikṣu) is called a "mendicant": above, he begs for the Dharma from the Tathāgata to discipline the spirit; below, he begs for food from laypeople to support the physical body; hence he is called a "mendicant." Worldly beggars only beg for clothing and food and do not beg for the Dharma, so they are not monks. Furthermore, although he begs for food, this also differs from the begging of worldly people: retrogressively, there is no burden of hoarding; progressively, there is the merit of generating blessings for sentient beings. Thus, benefiting oneself and benefiting others, he differs from worldly beggars. The remaining meanings—frightening Māra, destroying evil, and pure livelihood—are extensively explained in the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*.