梵網經菩薩戒本疏 1.11

1.11

第八、明教本末者，有二：先明此戒，後顯餘類。初、此戒來處者，此三世諸佛本戒，法界法爾，非新所制。舍那菩薩修行此戒，位滿成佛，於蓮華臺藏世界之中，為欲利樂諸眾生故，還自誦出，傳授化身，令各就機於閻浮提為諸眾生方便誦顯，是故得有如斯戒本。若論具本，什公相傳云：西域有十萬頌六十一品，具翻應成三百卷，未至此土，故不具也。二、餘類戒者，如梁朝《攝論．戒學》中引《毘奈耶瞿沙毘佛略經》，「說菩薩戒有十萬種差別」，如茲大本，未沾此域。又上代諸德相傳云：真諦三藏將菩薩律藏擬來此土，於南海上船，船便欲沒，省去餘物，仍猶不起，唯去律本，船方得進。真諦歎曰：「菩薩戒律，漢土無緣，深可悲矣。」又曇無讖三藏，於西涼洲，有沙門法進等，求讖受菩薩戒，并請翻戒本。讖曰：「此國人等，性多狡猾，又無剛節，豈有堪為菩薩道器？」遂不與授。進等苦請不獲，遂於佛像前，立誓邀期，苦節求戒。七日纔滿，夢見彌勒，親與授戒，并授戒本，並皆誦得。後覺已見讖，讖覩其相異，乃昌然歎曰：「漢土亦有人矣。」即與譯出戒本一卷，與進夢誦，文義扶同，今別行《地持戒本》，首安歸命偈者是也。又聞西國諸小乘寺，以賓頭盧為上座，諸大乘寺，以文殊師利為上座，令眾同持菩薩戒，羯磨說戒，皆作菩薩法事，律藏常誦不絕。然聲聞五律，四部東傳，此土流行，其來久矣。其於菩薩律藏，逈不東流，曇無讖言，於斯已驗。致使古來諸德，或有發心受戒，於持犯闇爾無所聞，悲歎良深，不能已已。藏雖有微心，冀茲勝行，每慨其斥闕，志願西求，既不果遂，情莫能已。後備尋藏經，捃摭遺躅，集菩薩毘尼藏二十卷，遂見有菩薩戒本。自古諸賢，未廣解釋，今敢竭愚誠，聊為述讚，庶同業者，粗識持犯耳。

Eighth, clarifying the origin and development of the teaching has two parts: first, clarifying these precepts; second, showing other categories. First, regarding the origin of these precepts: these are the fundamental precepts of all Buddhas of the three periods of time; they are naturally inherent in the dharmadhātu, not newly instituted. Bodhisattva Rocana practiced these precepts, fulfilled his ranks, and became a Buddha. In the Padmagarbha World, in order to benefit and gladden all sentient beings, he himself recited them back, transmitting them to his transformation bodies so that they would each, in accord with faculties, expediently recite and manifest them in Jambudvīpa for all sentient beings; therefore we have such a precept text. If we discuss the complete text, master Kumārajīva handed down the tradition saying: In the Western regions there are one hundred thousand verses and sixty-one chapters, which if translated in full should comprise three hundred fascicles; but having not yet arrived in this land, it is thus incomplete. Second, regarding other categories of precepts: for example, in the Liang Dynasty's She lun under "The Study of Precepts", it quotes the Vinayaghoṣābhivi Buddha-saṃkṣipta Sūtra: "teaching that the bodhisattva precepts have one hundred thousand kinds of distinctions"; such a great text has not yet reached this region. Furthermore, past masters handed down the tradition saying: When Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha intended to bring the Bodhisattva Vinaya Piṭaka to this land, he boarded a ship on the Southern Sea, and the ship was about to sink. They discarded other items, yet it still would not rise; only when the Vinaya texts were removed was the ship able to advance. Paramārtha sighed: "The Bodhisattva Vinaya has no affinity with the land of the Han; this is deeply lamentable!" Furthermore, when Tripiṭaka Master Dharmakṣema was in Xiliangzhou, the śramaṇa Fajin and others requested Dharmakṣema to bestow the bodhisattva precepts upon them and asked him to translate the precept text. Dharmakṣema said: "The people of this country are mostly cunning and deceitful, and lack steadfast integrity; how could they be fit vessels for the bodhisattva path?" Thus he did not bestow them. Fajin and the others made bitter entreaties without success; they then made vows and set a time limit before an image of the Buddha, seeking the precepts with bitter ascetic discipline. Just as seven days were fulfilled, he saw Maitreya in a dream, who personally bestowed the precepts on him and gave him the precept text, all of which he memorized and recited. Afterwards, upon awakening, he went to see Dharmakṣema. Dharmakṣema observed that his appearance was extraordinary, and exclaimed in admiration: "There are indeed men of worth in the land of the Han!" He immediately translated one fascicle of the precept text for him, which fully agreed in words and meaning with what Fajin had recited in his dream; this is the Bodhisattvabhūmi Precept Text that circulates separately today, with the refuge verse placed at the beginning. Furthermore, it is heard that in the Hīnayāna monasteries of the Western regions, Piṇḍola is made the senior elder, while in the Mahāyāna monasteries, Mañjuśrī is made the senior elder, causing the assembly to jointly uphold the bodhisattva precepts; their karmavācanā and precept recitations all perform bodhisattva Dharma activities, and the Vinaya Piṭaka is constantly recited without interruption. However, of the five Śrāvaka Vinayas, four divisions have been transmitted to the east and have circulated in this land for a long time; but as for the Bodhisattva Vinaya Piṭaka, it has not flowed east at all, and Dharmakṣema's words have already been proven true by this. Consequently, among the masters of old, some resolved their minds to receive the precepts, yet remained utterly blind and uninformed regarding observance and violation, sighing with profound grief without end. Although I, Fazang, have only meager aspirations, I yearn for this superior practice; always lamenting this omission and deficiency, I vowed to seek them in the West, but having failed to fulfill that, my heart could not rest. Later, I searched exhaustively through the canonical scriptures, gathering the remaining traces, and compiled the twenty-fascicle Bodhisattva Vinaya Piṭaka, whereupon I saw that there was a Bodhisattva Precept Text. The past sages of antiquity did not explain it extensively; now, daring to exhaust my foolish sincerity, I have composed this commentary and praise, so that my fellow practitioners may gain a rough understanding of observance and violation.