四分律行事鈔資持記 1.153

1.153

歎教文中。律字是法，海下並喻。今先出喻，然後合法。初三字明竪深，次句明橫廣；雖下二句，明容而不雜；騰下二句，明逸而不濫。沖亦訓深，漸漸深入，莫窮底故。通萬象者，天地萬物，皆蒙潤故。包含等者，百川所歸故。不宿屍者，性清潔故。騰岳等者，勢蕩逸故。岳喻其高，雲喻其動，喻中喻故。潮不過者，涌有時故。法合中，初合竪深。遠古諸佛、三乘聖賢，由戒資成，至于現未展轉無窮。故《戒疏》云：前聖果圓，後賢因滿；引生來業，展轉住持；眾生無盡，戒亦無竭。即戒本云：如過去諸佛，及以未來者，現在諸世尊，皆共尊敬戒是也。二合橫廣。三義釋之。初明遍境者，十方法界依正二報，情非情類，無非戒故。二約禁業者，三業四儀，施為舉動，三千八萬，皆聖制故。三約資行者，萬行由生，眾善所住，三聖道成，率由戒檢故。合第三中。戒法弘通，九道師訓；人收七眾，趣該非畜（本宗通受五八。）攝濟不遺，故云無外。然則或違重禁，教所不容；五眾則坌污清流，必加擯罰；其餘則入道無益，永障出家；若論治擯，實通諸篇；然對死屍，須約四重；即律序云：譬如有死屍，大海不容受，為疾風所漂，棄之於岸上。諸作惡行者，猶如彼死屍，眾所不容受，以是當持戒。合第四者。謂止作持犯，隨緣興制；詮相浩博，喻若波濤。然篇聚重輕，犯緣具闕；定犯不犯，纖毫不差；眾別行相，施造有儀；如非成敗，無容濫託。如潮有信，法喻彌彰。律云海有八奇特法：一一切眾流皆往投之；二常不失潮限；三五大河皆投於海而失本名；四五大河及天雨盡歸於海，無有增減；五海水盡醎，同為一味；六不受死屍；七多出珍寶；八大形者所居。此中略舉，未必全同；如戒本序，但明二德；必欲強配，臨文自裁。

In the text praising the teaching: the character 'Vinaya' is the dharma; from 'ocean' downward are all metaphors. Now the metaphor is presented first, and then correlated with the dharma. The first three characters explain its vertical depth; the next line explains its horizontal breadth; the two lines beginning with 'although' explain its containment without confusion; the two lines beginning with 'surging' explain its vastness without irregularity. 'Deep' also glosses 'profound', gradually penetrating deeper so that none can exhaust its bottom. 'Reaching all phenomena' means heaven, earth, and all things receive its moisture. 'Containing', etc., refers to being the destination of the hundred rivers. 'Not harboring a corpse' refers to its pure nature. 'Surging over peaks', etc., refers to its sweeping and vast momentum. Peaks illustrate its height, clouds illustrate its motion—this is a metaphor within a metaphor. 'The tide does not exceed' refers to its surging having set times. In correlating with the dharma: first, correlating with vertical depth. The Buddhas of distant antiquity and the sages and worthies of the three vehicles were aided and accomplished by the precepts, down to the present and future in endless succession. Therefore the Precept Commentary says: 'The fruit of former sages was perfected, the cause of later worthies was fulfilled; giving rise to future karma, maintaining it in continuous succession; sentient beings are inexhaustible, and precepts too are never depleted.' This is just as the Prātimokṣa says: 'Like the Buddhas of the past, / And those of the future, / The present World-Honoured Ones / All revere the precepts together.' Second, correlating with horizontal breadth: explained through three meanings. First, explaining that it pervades all realms: the ten directions of the Dharma realm, both primary and secondary retributions, sentient and insentient kinds, are all the precepts. Second, in terms of restraining karma: the three karmas and four deportments, all actions and movements, the three thousand [deportments] and eighty thousand [subtle practices], are all holy prohibitions. Third, in terms of aiding practice: the myriad practices arise from it, all good dwells within it, and the paths of the three sages are accomplished entirely through the regulation of precepts. In correlating the third [meaning]: the precept-dharma is widely propagated, serving as a master's instruction for the nine paths; among humans it gathers the seven assemblies, and among destinies it covers non-humans and animals (this school allows them generally to receive the five and eight [precepts]). It embraces and rescues without leaving any out; hence it says 'nothing is excluded'. However, if one violates the grave prohibitions, the teaching will not tolerate it: the five assemblies then defile the clear stream and must be subjected to banishment and penalty; as for the rest, entering the Path brings no benefit and they are forever obstructed from leaving household life. If discussing disciplining and banishment, it actually runs through all chapters; yet when compared to a dead corpse, it must refer to the four pārājikas. That is as the Vinaya preface says: 'Just like a dead corpse / Which the great ocean will not tolerate, / Blown by a swift wind / And cast upon the shore. / Those who commit evil deeds / Are just like that dead corpse, / Whom the community will not tolerate; / Therefore one should uphold the precepts.' Correlating the fourth: this refers to the cessation, action, maintenance, and violation being instituted in response to conditions; the interpreted marks are vast, likened to surging waves. Yet concerning chapters, clusters, gravity, and levity, and the presence or lack of conditions for an offense: determining whether an offense has occurred is without the slightest error; communal and individual marks of practice have proper decorum for their enactment; correctness or fault, success or failure, allow no reckless pretense. Just as the tide is trustworthy, the dharma and metaphor are all the more evident. The Vinaya states that the ocean has eight wondrous qualities: first, all streams flow into it; second, it never loses the limit of its tides; third, the five great rivers all flow into the sea and lose their original names; fourth, the five great rivers and heaven's rain all return to the sea without increase or decrease; fifth, the seawater is entirely salty, sharing one single taste; sixth, it does not harbor dead corpses; seventh, it produces many precious jewels; eighth, it is the dwelling of large creatures. These are briefly cited here and are not necessarily completely identical; as in the preface to the Prātimokṣa, only two virtues are explained. If one must forcibly match them, one may decide for oneself when facing the text.