天台菩薩戒疏 3.10

3.10

Forty-second: The precept against expounding the bodhisattva's vinaya precepts to evil people. The vinaya precepts are called the secret treasury and must not be casually conferred upon people; it is feared that heterodox and external persons seeing the text would be blind to its intent, ignorant of what is permissible and what is forbidden, and mistakenly give rise to slanderous remarks, which brings no benefit to oneself or others. Therefore, the transgression is instituted. Specifically, it possesses four conditions: (1) facing a heterodox or evil person, (2) knowing them to be such, (3) seeking personal gain, and (4) expounding even a single precept; then one incurs an offense. The text has three parts: first, stating the title and establishing the prohibition; second, from 'such evil people' downward, clarifying the fault of their refusing to receive the precepts; third, from 'yet this bodhisattva' downward, establishing the offense for violating the prohibition. In the first part, it says 'to those who have not yet received...', and so forth. Question: Since it says that one must not expound them to anyone who has not received the bodhisattva precepts, and the laity belongs largely to this category, yet nowadays people recite and expound them without any distinction and many thus incur this offense, what is the meaning of this? Answer: The Buddha's intent encompasses multiple meanings; here one should follow the inner principle. The *Bodhisattvabhūmi* states that when one wishes to receive the precepts, their marks should first be explained to them so they can observe beforehand whether they can uphold them or not; thus it is permissible to expound them generally to those with faith who have not yet received them. Furthermore, when the two monastic assemblies first receive the *Dharmaguptaka-vinaya* (Sifen lü), both the people and the teachings encourage generating the supreme mind to seek the threefold cumulative pure precepts for unsurpassable bodhi. What dharma do the threefold cumulative pure precepts not encompass? Although the Hinayana lacks the meaning of the three accumulations, once they have generated the perfect bodhicitta, the Dharma follows the person. The five categories of offenses are common to both Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, and the holy practices of the bodhisattva in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra extensively list the ten precepts and the five factors; hence we know that the *Dharmaguptaka-vinaya* of the monks and nuns in this land are indeed the precepts of a bodhisattva. The Lotus Sūtra reveals that both persons and dharmas are all perfect; different paths lead to the same destination, so what is there that is Hinayana? As long as there is no slander, both recitation and explanation are permitted. If so, is there no need to receive them reciprocally? Answer: Reciprocal receiving merely increases the categories and items; the mental essence fundamentally is not generated twice. The simultaneously formed unmanifest [precept] concerns conventional worldly manifestation, their respective karmic essences; the path-concomitant precept is universally one both horizontally and vertically. Being generated throughout the dharmadhātu is horizontal; not perishing across other lives and other persons is vertical. The 'great precepts of the thousand Buddhas' broadly refers to the number in the Auspicious Kalpa. 'Wrong views' refers to the ordinary lack of faith outside of external paths and evil people, which is termed wrong. 'Except for a king': even if a king holds wrong views, it is permissible [to expound the precepts], out of fear that suspicion or false accusation would bring harm to the Dharma. Second, clarifying the fault of their refusing to receive the precepts: collectively designating external and heterodox persons as 'evil people'. Lacking faith and not receiving them, they have no shame and no conscience, like beasts. Although they have a mind, they lack discernment, which in principle is identical to having no mind; hence they are likened to wood and stone. Having no share in the internal Dharma, they are called outsiders. Lacking perfect right view, they are called people of wrong [views]. Third, the transgression of the prohibition is established. Regarding 'the seven Buddhas': all Buddhas equally receive these precepts; here they are listed summarily starting from the most recent, hence it speaks of the seven Buddhas.