天台菩薩戒疏 3.7

3.7

Forty: The precept against being selective as an ordination master. When a bodhisattva benefits sentient beings, whenever there is an opportunity, they should respond. How could one allow someone to travel a thousand leagues to seek and request [the precepts], only to give rise to an angry and hateful heart instead? Because this contradicts the great vows, it is instituted as an offense. It specifically possesses five conditions: 1. One personally understands the precept teachings; 2. The other person seeks to receive them; 3. The other lacks the seven impediments; 4. One gives rise to an evil mind instead; 5. One does not immediately confer them—then one commits an offense. Regarding the text, there are three parts: first, stating the title and establishing the rule, listing the persons one should not discriminate against; second, from "one should teach..." onward, prescribing that one should screen their karmic retribution and clothing; third, from "if only they understand..." onward, presenting the correct and revealing the wrong, concluding the offense for violating the rule. The first is as in the text. The second section also has three parts: first, screening and indicating the garment colors. Blue-green refers to azurite, mineral green, and the like; yellow refers to yellowish-brown; red refers to gandha color [faded red/ochre]; black refers to house soot black and the like; and purple is earth color. When these five colors are blended and dyed with one another, they are called improper colors. Whatever is worn must be dyed and spoiled in color; hence it says "all." Next, from "if they wish to..." onward, instructs that one screen for karmic obstacles. The "seven rebellious acts" refers to adding the killing of an upādhyāya and an ācārya to the five rebellious acts. As for "shedding the blood of a Buddha's body," although there is no such incident in the final age today, destroying stūpas, demolishing monasteries, or burning sūtras and images are also of this category. As for "breaking the Saṃgha by karman and the turning of the Dharma wheel," after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, although there is no separate heterodox karman to break the correct karman or obstructing the principle of the initial turning of the Four Truths, causing obstruction and hindrance is also of this type. "Noble ones" refers to the Saṃgha of the four fruits. Third, from "leaving the household..." onward, points out the correct Dharma. Both the Great and Small deportments share this rule. If, in the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, the two monks bow at Vimalakīrti's feet, that was paying reverence upon hearing the Dharma. In the Lotus Sūtra, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging bowing to the four assemblies was simply contemplating the equality of nature, manifesting the dharmakāya, and setting aside offenses to benefit beings; it was not instituted by the Buddha. Here it is the constant rule for bodhisattvas; one must not arbitrarily cite other texts to claim that the Buddha prescribed bowing to laity. Third, presenting the correct and revealing the wrong, and concluding the offense for violating the rule, is as in the text.