四分比丘戒本疏 2.43

2.43

Eleventh: the precept against destroying living plants and seeds. As for 'ghosts and spirits' in the Vinaya, these are non-humans. Now, upon examination, 'non-humans' broadly includes the animal realm as well; therefore the tenth fascicle of the Daśabhāṇavāra states: 'It refers to living grass and trees where sentient beings abide. Sentient beings refers to tree spirits and so forth, down to mosquitoes, gnats, scorpions, worms, ants, and the like.' Investigating the main sense of the Vinaya, there are two kinds of living things: first, root and branch seeds; second, grain and wheat seeds. Breaking any single one of them or single grain incurs a prāyaścittika for each. If when eating fruits, vegetables, and the like one also eats the seeds, one must have a kappiya-kāraka perform fire-purification in a pure place. If one does not eat the seeds, one should remove the pits with a knife or fingernails and eat them. The fourteenth fascicle of the Mahāsāṃghika[-vinaya] states: 'Mamatī knew there were granary grains not yet made pure; fearing that the younger monks did not understand the Dharma, he had a kappiya-kāraka perform fire-purification, after which, until it was all consumed, one could always tell him to pound it without committing an offence.' This is as set forth extensively in the various vinayas.