天台菩薩戒疏 3.5

3.5

三十九、不勸修福講解利生戒。大乘威力難可思議，非唯資益冥途，固能救現危難。不為講解，幽顯無聞，失利處深，是故聖制。別具五緣：一、解講大法，二、無諸難緣，三、遇安危境，四、無慈救心，五、不為講解，便犯。就文為三：初制勸自他修於福業，次「而菩薩」下制利生修於智業，三、「而新學」下違制結犯。初文先列四事：一、建立僧房。二、山林園田。三、立作佛塔。塔謂藏聖身骨之處，供者福多，同不殿堂形貌安處。故《阿含經》明梵尼尸比丘毘婆尸佛時，以歡喜心執火照塔，後值釋迦身體光明，二十八天身光不及。又《十二因緣經》云：八人應起塔，謂佛、菩薩、支佛、四果、輪王。佛塔八層，已下漸減，乃至初果二層。後分云：輪王無級，四果四級，支佛五級，佛十三級。亦云支提，即無舍利者也。今從最勝藏佛舍利，故云佛塔。四、立安居坐禪處所。「一切」等者，總結示立處也。凡是一切可行道處，皆應如上立僧房等四以為道緣，是故制之。次、制講利生中又二：初標名總勸。所見有情皆須利樂，故云「應為一切」等。經詮定慧二學，律即戒學，菩薩律儀既是通途利生，故舉三學令說三身三德，戒學即法身，定學即解脫，慧學即般若。「若疾病」下，別列所講之境，於中為三：初對報障勸講。所猶通通皆有，故亦總舉經律，謂報身疾病、王國干弋、寇賊競興、生緣喪死、師長亡化、忌晨七七，若自若他皆應講說大乘令觀報陰，即法身德，則用法身而為對治。次「齊會」下，於利衰境即對煩惱障勸講。凡是齊會永福之處，行人遠歸，親賓相遇，治生經求，及遭水火惡風黑色所吹船舫無有的瘼，或在江河大海值羅剎鬼，煩悶逼切，唯專佛性之戒開解義理，令觀煩惱，即般若德，故云「此經律」也，即用報身而為對治。「乃至」下，第三、對業障勸講。煩惱既多不可說盡，略列三五續舉業障，故云「乃至」。「一切」等者，總舉也。三業之因殺盜等別，故云「一切」。三報者，一切之業並有三報：此身造業即此身報，名為現報；此身造業次生受報，名為生報；此世造業二三生後方受其報，名為後報。身在八難，名八難業。犯於七逆，名七逆業。或在牢獄為他拘繫手足，故云「杻械」等。三業毒並多，若單若雙，或約一人，或約七人，若疾病者，即殺業也。此等不同並是業報，無逃避處，亦局講戒令觀結業，即解脫德。故大乘三藏並詮三身，對治從別，故文所列有別有通。若能順教利樂有情，感聖冥加解脫眾難，設未感聖但害肉身，自他臨終聞薰成種，當當值佛莫不因茲，故制菩薩常令講說大乘經律三德之義。「而新覺」下，結犯。行解未具並名「新」。

Thirty-nine: The precept against failing to encourage the cultivation of merit and failing to explain [the teachings] to benefit sentient beings. The mighty power of the Great Vehicle is inconceivable: it not only brings benefit and assistance along the dark paths, but can surely rescue from present dangers and hardships. If one does not explain it for them, both the unseen and the visible will remain without hearing it, and the loss of benefit will be profound; therefore the Sage instituted this prohibition. It specifically possesses five conditions to constitute an offense: 1. Understanding and explaining the Great Dharma; 2. Being free of all debilitating conditions; 3. Encountering situations of peace or danger; 4. Lacking a mind of compassion and rescue; 5. Not explaining it for them—then one commits an offense. Regarding the text, there are three parts: first, prescribing the encouragement of oneself and others to cultivate meritorious karma; next, from "Yet a bodhisattva..." onward, prescribing that one benefit sentient beings by cultivating intellectual karma; third, from "Yet a new student..." onward, concluding the offense for violating the prohibition. In the first passage, four matters are first listed: 1. Establishing monastic dwellings. 2. Mountain forests, orchards, and fields. 3. Erecting and making Buddha stūpas. A stūpa refers to a place that houses the bones of a noble one's body; those who make offerings gain much merit, unlike hall-shrines where bodily forms are enshrined. Hence the Āgama sutras explain that the monk Vaniśa (Fannishi) during the time of Vipaśyin Buddha held a lamp to illuminate a stūpa with a joyful heart; later, when encountering Śākyamuni, his bodily radiance was such that the bodily light of the twenty-eight heavens could not match it. Furthermore, the Twelve Nidānas Sūtra says: "Eight kinds of persons should have stūpas erected for them: namely, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, the four fruits [of arhatship], and wheel-turning kings." A Buddha stūpa has eight tiers, and below this they gradually decrease down to two tiers for the first fruit. The Latter Section says: "A wheel-turning king has no tiers, the four fruits have four tiers, a pratyekabuddha has five tiers, and a Buddha has thirteen tiers." It is also called a caitya, which refers to one without relics. Here, following the most supreme, it enshrines the Buddha's relics, and is therefore called a Buddha stūpa. 4. Establishing places for summer retreats and seated meditation. "All..." and so forth summarizes and indicates the places to be established. Wherever the path may be practiced, one should establish the four things above—monastic dwellings and the rest—as conditions for the path; therefore it was instituted. Next, within prescribing explanation to benefit sentient beings, there are also two parts: first, stating the name and generally encouraging it. All sentient beings that one sees must be benefited and made happy; hence it says: "One should, for all..." and so forth. The sūtras expound the two trainings of concentration and wisdom, while the vinaya is the training in precepts. Since the bodhisattva deportment is the universal path of benefiting sentient beings, the three trainings are adduced to cause one to teach the three bodies and the three virtues: the training in precepts is the dharmakāya, the training in concentration is liberation, and the training in wisdom is prajñā. From "If in illness..." onward, it specifically lists the circumstances for explanation, within which there are three parts: First, encouraging explanation in the face of retribution obstacles. Places are broadly shared and common to all; hence it also generally cites the sutras and vinaya, meaning the retribution body's diseases, state wars, the rampant rise of bandits and thieves, the death of loved ones, the demise of masters and elders, and the morning memorial days through the seven-sevens [forty-nine days]. Whether for oneself or others, one should explain the Great Vehicle to make them contemplate the retribution aggregates as the virtue of the dharmakāya; that is, using the dharmakāya as the remedy. Next, from "gatherings and assemblies..." onward, regarding circumstances of gain and decline, it encourages explanation in the face of affliction obstacles. Wherever there are gatherings, assemblies, and places of perpetual merit; travelers returning from afar; meetings of relatives and guests; conducting livelihood and seeking gain; or facing water, fire, adverse winds, and black gale-blown ships without any safe haven; or encountering rākṣasa demons in rivers or the great ocean, suffering distress and urgency—one must focus exclusively on the precepts of Buddha-nature to unpack and explain the doctrinal principles, making them contemplate afflictions as the virtue of prajñā; hence it says "these sūtras and vinaya," which uses the saṃbhogakāya as the remedy. From "and even..." onward is the third: encouraging explanation in the face of karmic obstacles. Because afflictions are manifold and cannot be exhausted in speech, it briefly lists three or five and continues by citing karmic obstacles; hence it says "and even." "All..." and so forth is a general statement. The causes of the three types of karma differ—killing, stealing, and the like; hence it says "all." "The three retributions" means that all karma has three retributions: creating karma in this body and experiencing retribution in this very body is called retribution in the present life; creating karma in this body and receiving retribution in the next life is called retribution in the next rebirth; creating karma in this lifetime and receiving retribution only after two or three rebirths is called retribution in subsequent rebirths. When one's body is in the eight difficulties, it is called the karma of the eight difficulties. Committing the seven rebellious acts is called the karma of the seven rebellious acts. Or being in prison and bound hand and foot by others, hence it says "manacles and fetters" and so on. The poisons of the three karmas are numerous—whether singular or combined, whether concerning one person or seven persons; as for illness, that is the karma of killing. These various differences are all karmic retributions with nowhere to flee, and here too one is strictly confined to explaining the precepts to make them contemplate the tied-up karma as the virtue of liberation. Therefore, the Tripiṭaka of the Great Vehicle expounds the three bodies throughout, and remedies are applied according to distinctions; thus the list in the text contains both distinct and common aspects. If one can accord with the teachings to benefit and gladden sentient beings, one will evoke the unseen assistance of the noble ones to be liberated from all difficulties. Even if one does not evoke the noble ones and merely harms the physical body, for oneself and others to be perfumed by hearing it at the point of death becomes a seed, and encountering future Buddhas will invariably stem from this. Therefore, it is enjoined that bodhisattvas must constantly explain the Great Vehicle sūtras and vinaya and the meaning of the three virtues. From "Yet a newly enlightened..." onward, concludes the offense. Those whose practice and understanding are not yet complete are all called "new."