四分比丘戒本疏 1.24

1.24

The commentary states: From here below is the second part: expounding the core teachings and investigating them. According to the text, there are eight sections, each with three passages; these eight sections together are called the five categories [of offences], as the terminology was briefly explained in the opening. Now, the offences of the five categories have two senses: first, they are solely culmination offences (phala); second, because they are urgent and essential, they are compiled as a sūtra to be recited fortnightly. If one includes both causes and fruits, covering both non-urgent and urgent matters, they are established as seven classes [of offences]. As for the seven classes: first, pārājika; second, saṃghāvaśeṣa; third, sthūlātyaya, which refers to the preparatory offences of the first two classes, meaning both grave and light ones, as well as culmination sthūlātyaya offences, such as using human skin, a stone bowl, human hair, or going naked; fourth, prāyaścittika; fifth, pratideśanīya; sixth, bad action (duṣkṛta of body); seventh, bad speech (durbhāṣita), which refers to bodily offences of bad action and verbal offences of bad speech among the śaikṣa rules, as well as the remote preparatory offences of the first five classes, together with culmination duṣkṛta offences not subsumed within the categories, such as rebelling against the recitation of the prātimokṣa, not observing the rains retreat, or not holding the pavāraṇā. The categories and classes explained in the Vinayavibhāṣā differ slightly in meaning, which cannot be detailed here. Generally explaining the intent behind establishing all the precepts, there are briefly three approaches: first, to prevent faults; second, to generate [rebirth in] good destinies; third, to bring about the ten benefits. According to the ninety-ninth fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi, the faults prevented by the categories and classes are broadly explained as fifteen kinds, for which reason the precepts had to be established: 1. The fault of grave matters. 2. The fault of fierce entanglements (these two above are both present in the first category). 3. The fault of deficiency and discontentment (spending the night separated from one's robes and lacking robes or a bowl without formally maintaining them constitute the fault of deficiency; keeping extra robes or bowls without formal shared relinquishment (vikalpana) constitutes the fault of discontentment). 4. The fault of being disparaged by others (taking robes from or giving robes to an unrelated nun, sitting alone with her, arbitrarily instructing her and travelling by arrangement, etc.). 5. The fault of causing those without prior faith to have even less faith, and causing those with prior faith to undergo change (the two instances of entering a village and begging for delicious food exceeding three bowls, hopping while entering a layperson's house, sitting there, etc.). 6. The fault of accumulating much wealth and having many entangling affairs (storing valuables, engaging in trade, constructing two kinds of rooms, five kinds of bedding, etc.). 7. The fault of lustful attachment (intentional emission, touching, matchmaking, etc., being attached to sensual desires; exhorting weaving and begging for robes, etc., being attached to clothing). 8. The fault of distressing others (two forms of slander, malicious speech, contradictory speech, resentment and reviling, etc.). 9. The fault of giving rise to illness (in the treatise, carrying wool, climbing trees beyond a man's height, etc.; now examined, being separated from one's robes and bowl, etc., are also such). 10. The fault of obstructing progress to good destinies and progress to the state of a recluse (causing a schism in the Saṃgha, shedding [the Buddha's] blood, etc., being in the assembly of wrong certainty, obstructs progress to good destinies; being of bad character and refusing instruction obstructs the practice of a recluse). 11. The fault of failing to guard what should be guarded, and guarding what should not be guarded (the two cases of leaving spreading mats behind, etc., failing to guard what should be guarded; dragging or driving [someone] out, etc., guarding what should not be guarded). 12. The fault of improperly providing dependence when one should not, and failing to provide dependence when one should (the novice Ariṭṭha saying that desires do not obstruct the path, to whom one should not give dependence; gathering disciples with the two dharmas, where one should give dependence). 13. The fault of failing to respect what should be respected, and respecting what should not be respected (not inclining one's ear to listen, not practicing the duties of a disciple, etc., failing to respect what should be respected; following a censured monk, respecting what should not be respected). 14. The fault of failing to conceal what should be concealed, and concealing what should not be concealed (speaking of another's gross offence, failing to conceal what should be concealed; concealing a gross offence, etc., concealing what should not be concealed). 15. The fault of failing to associate with what should be associated with, and conversely associating with what should not be associated with (not using pure robes and bowls, but conversely using forfeited and fallen goods, etc.). In a single precept, one, two, or even many of these fifteen kinds of faults may be present, which should be understood as appropriate. Summarized in verse: "Gravity, entanglement, deficiency, censure, faith, / Greed, lust, distress, illness, obstruction, / Guarding, dependence, respect, concealing, association— / These constitute the fifteen faults." Second, establishing the precepts causes one to be born in good destinies: The Buddha's teachings do not go beyond three virtuous sūtras: first, expounding sūtras on upholding precepts for those who fear bad destinies; second, expounding sūtras on giving for those who fear poverty; third, expounding sūtras on practice for those who fear afflictions. Thus we know that the precepts were established to proceed to good destinies. Third, bringing about the ten benefits, as extensively explained in the Vinaya.