四分律刪補隨機羯磨 1.4

1.4

Since the sun of wisdom sank in the west and the waters of the Dharma flowed eastward, the times have spanned both the Semblance and the True [Dharma], and people have varied between the earnest and the superficial. In the beginning there was the divergence into two divisions and five divisions; in the middle, the distinction into eighteen [schools] and five hundred [masters]. In the end, various factions clashed, each vying to lead the way; while people followed varying conditions, the Dharma remained uncorrupted. Yet the Way arises from faith, and its propagation depends on people; if people teeter on the brink of ruin, how can the Dharma stay pure and upright? For this reason, the holy teachings of karman, passing down through ancient and modern times, have gradually grown more intricate with each generation, filling scrolls to no avail. When examining their actual records, most rely on prior hearsay; when investigating their ancestral lineages, they are almost entirely devoid of original authority. Those who devise rules out of their own whims are not few, and those who open [the scrolls] and practice or chant them are exceedingly numerous. Holding the sacred words in contempt, they constantly run afoul of the penal code; all pursue views of difference and similarity, contending and clinging to the delusions of right and wrong, without thinking to draw analogies, only multiplying their confusion and fetters, thereby causing the True Dharma to covertly vanish with time. Therefore the Buddha said: “If in performing a karman procedure one does not make a jñapti according to the rule of jñapti, or does not execute a karman according to the rule of karman, one will thereby cause the True Dharma to perish swiftly. One must follow the phrasing, not allowing additions or omissions that violate the Dharma and the Vinaya. Thus should you train!” When the compassionate admonition is such, arbitrary assertions are truly untenable.