華嚴經探玄記 11.65

11.65

Third, in "abstaining from sexual misconduct" there are also three parts: First, regarding abandonment of the cause, it is because one is content with the beauty of one's own wife. Since the aspects of the first, second, and third bhūmis are identical with the mundane world, by being temporarily lodged as identical with ordinary beings, it is therefore said that he is content with his wife. Another explanation: on this bhūmi, in appropriating retribution, he is lodged as a wheel-turning king, and thus possesses the beauty of a wife. Another explanation: since his celibate conduct (brahmacarya) is not yet complete, it is therefore said that he is content with his own. Second, regarding abandonment through antidote, because his present celibate conduct is pure, he does not seek the beauty of a wife in the future; hence it is said that he does not seek another's wife. This sūtra omits this phrase. Third, in abandonment of the fruit-actions, there are also two parts: First, subtle, in terms of mental thoughts; hence it is said that he does not give rise to a single thought. Second, coarse and grave, in terms of the body. Within the body, misconduct is of three kinds, explained via two approaches: first, in terms of the coarse; second, in terms of the subtle. In the coarse, first, "improper" has five kinds: 1. another's maiden; 2. another's wife; 3. one's own relative; 4. protected by clan, meaning a superior clan that is not to be paired with a lower caste, and so forth; 5. protected by tokens, meaning already betrothed to another and tokens of betrothal have already been delivered, being protected by marked prohibitions. All these are as in the Daśabhūmika-śāstra. The fifteenth fascicle of the Dà zhìdù lùn states: "If a woman is protected by parents, brothers, sisters, husband, son, mundane law, or royal law, if one violates her, it is called sexual misconduct." Second, "untimely" has three kinds: 1. what the Dà zhìdù lùn calls 'protected by celibate conduct', which has two: renouncing the household, and the one-day precepts, as well as when one's own wife receives the eight precepts; 2. the time of pregnancy, when a woman is averse to habitual intimacy, and also because it harms the fetus; 3. engaging in sexual intimacy while nursing a child, because the milk dries up. These are all sexual misconduct. Third, "improper place", meaning improper passages, which has two places, as is known. In the second part, revealing through the subtle: "improper" means not one's own wife or concubine. Because a bodhisattva does not himself take or keep wives and concubines, he is constantly free from sexual misconduct. Second, "untimely" means the time of practicing the precepts. Because there is no time when a bodhisattva does not cultivate the precepts, he completely refrains from sexual intimacy. Third, "improper place" is excessively coarse and vulgar; he severs it forever and does not commit it. If one discerns both improper and proper sexual activity subtly, neither can be found. The above precepts on the three bodily actions are concluded.