四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 3.291

3.291

Second is clarifying the five precepts, divided into three parts: first, distinguishing eligible persons from ineligible; second, differences in ritual procedure; and third, analyzing them.
Regarding the first: the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra states that perpetrators of the five heinous offenses, those who dwell as thieves [in the saṃgha], and those who have defiled nuns are not permitted in the Vinaya to do so; because they are stained by evil karma and thus obstructed from the noble path, they are not permitted to go forth. If they remain laypersons, they may obtain the wholesome discipline and are not barred from cultivating wholesome deeds such as giving and morality; what fault is there in possessing mundane precepts? In the Sarvāstivāda, if one previously violated the five precepts, eight precepts, or ten or full precepts by committing a major offense, they cannot obtain them again by receiving them anew. Therefore, one must first clarify the conditions for the arising of the precepts. The Sujāta Sūtra states: "These precepts are extremely difficult; they serve as the foundation for the śrāmaṇera, the great bhikṣu, and the bodhisattva precepts. There are five precepts; by receiving any single portion, one obtains that precept. Which portion of the precepts do you wish to receive now?" The wise master confers them according to the candidate's words.
Second, the ritual procedure: "I, named so-and-so, take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Saṃgha, for the rest of my life as a five-precept upāsaka; the Tathāgata, the Truly Real, the Completely Enlightened One, is my Bhagavat" (said three times). "I, named so-and-so, have taken refuge in the Buddha, have taken refuge in the Dharma, have taken refuge in the Saṃgha, for the rest of my life as a five-precept upāsaka; the Tathāgata, the Truly Real, the Completely Enlightened One, is my Bhagavat" (said three times). The Zhidu lun states: the precept master should instruct them, saying: "Listen, upāsaka! The Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Samyaksambuddha has taught the characteristics of the five precepts for upāsakas; you should listen and receive them. For the rest of your life, abstaining from killing living beings is an upāsaka precept; are you able to observe it?" (Answer: "I can.") "For the rest of your life, abstaining from taking what is not given is an upāsaka precept; are you able to observe it?" (Answer: "I can.") Abstaining for life from sexual misconduct, false speech, and drinking alcohol are all addressed as above. "These are the five precepts for householders, which you are to receive and observe for the rest of your life. You must make offerings to the Three Jewels and encourage others to perform various merits; in the three months and on the six days, you must constantly observe the fast; dedicate this merit to all sentient beings, resulting in the realization of the Buddha path."
Third, the analysis: the Tattvasiddhi states that whether one receives one, two, or three, one obtains the discipline; it also allows receiving them again, whereby the precepts arise anew and are obtained; they may also be received according to the number of days. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states that they should be received from the five assemblies and cannot be received from laypersons. The Zhidu lun states: because the six fast days are days when evil spirits seize human lives, in the early kalpa the sages instructed people to fast for one day as an observance; later, when the Buddha appeared in the world, he told them: "For one day and one night, observe the eight precepts just as the Buddhas do, and do not eat past midday; this merit will lead people to nirvāṇa." Question: Of the four vocal transgressions, why is only false speech mentioned? Answer: By mentioning false speech alone, the remaining three are subsumed. Moreover, the Buddhadharma values truthful speech, so it takes precedence and subsumes them. Just as the ten wholesome deeds are spoken of as the general precept characteristics, their specific characteristics are boundless; not eating past midday is subsumed under non-greed, and the others should be understood accordingly. It also states: a person's birth in a realm is brought about through collective causes and conditions; that is, internal factors serve as conditions for external factors. For example, due to harsh speech, the earth produces thorns; due to deceitful minds, the ground becomes uneven; due to abundant miserliness, droughts and floods become irregular and the earth yields gravel; for those who do not commit these evils, the ground is level; as in the time of Maitreya Buddha, when people practice the ten wholesome deeds, the earth abounds in precious gems. The Ekottarika-āgama states: through practicing the ten unwholesome actions, external things diminish, to say nothing of internal things. This is fully explained in fascicle forty-three. In fascicle thirty-three of the Madhyama-āgama, the Sujāta Sūtra clarifies the practices of laypeople and paying homage to the six directions. The Sarvāstivāda states: among the five precepts, the precept against alcohol is the gravest. The rest is explained in detail in the seven fascicles of the Sujāta Sūtra.