四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 1.39

1.39

First: The intent behind the arising of the teaching. When the supreme person arises in the world, his benefiting of beings follows specific methods; setting forth teachings in accord with capacity, in principle nothing is bestowed in vain. A treatise says: "Relying upon the gateway of great compassion, he expounded the Vinaya." Therefore the Vinaya says: "Because of the Bhagavat's compassionate thought, he expounded the Dharma for them." Second, to counter tīrthikas who reside without rules, and to reveal that in the Buddha's Dharma the person is venerable and the path is lofty, he therefore enacted these precepts. Examining the Vinaya below, all that was enacted contained exceptional arts. Therefore the text says: "If they are not collated and formulated, it will cause the tīrthikas to make other criticisms." Third, it comes forth to address divergent schools. Sects have many distinctions: for instance, in the Sarvāstivāda, the Prātimokṣa has redundancies and omissions, and its indication of the essence is not complete; in accommodating the laity, its standards are fixed by time and number, while in governing the Dharma, its rules generally lead to an absence of standard. Now, in the Dharmaguptaka, persons and dharmas are orderly, and the practical methods are multifaceted; in leading and guiding, it focuses solely on generating the good, and the intent in establishing the teaching rests in being manifest and concise.