梵網經菩薩戒本疏 3.5

3.5

Second, regarding the explanation of the name: when defiled feelings run wild and one is indulgently fixated and rigidly attached, it is called sexual misconduct (yín). In mundane books, this character has two forms: that with the water radical signifies excess and fault; that with the female radical signifies illicit and improper lust. Therefore, when lingering rain is excessive, it is called "torrential rain" (yínyǔ); when lingering over books is excessive, it is called "excessive reading" (yínshū). Thus Huangfu Shi'an read books for three years, and during that time did not know the seasons of spring and autumn, and rode a horse without knowing whether it was male or female. Now, when emotion lingers over sensual desire, it is called "sexual desire," also called "lustful form," and also called "lewd dissipation." Thus the Book of Documents states: "Inwardly making a dissipation of women, outwardly making a dissipation of hunting." According to Buddhist texts, it is called "impure conduct"; defiling the mind with lustful attachment is called impure conduct. Unlawful objects defile the quality of the pure precepts, hence it is called "conduct" (xíng), conduct being karma. It is also called the "precept against unchaste conduct" (abrahmacarya); the sages, countering this fault, established the proscription to prevent and ward it off, hence it is called a precept, taking its name from what is proscribed. Furthermore, in this sūtra, whether lay or monastic bodhisattvas, both cut off sexual desire; therefore, the text makes no distinction between illicit and legitimate [sex], cutting off all entirely. Question: If so, why do lay bodhisattvas have wives and children? Answer: There are two kinds of laypersons: for those of initial aspiration, they already have wives and children before taking the precepts; for those who have attained ranks onward, appearing to have wives and children to transform sentient beings is through the power of expedient means. Thus, in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, when the bodhisattvas of the ten practices uphold the pure precepts, countless māra daughters come to harass and agitate the bodhisattvas, yet they do not give rise to a single thought of desire, being as pure as a Buddha; except for the expedient means of teaching and transforming sentient beings, they would rather give up body and life than inflict evil upon others. Reasoning by this, one knows that these are all expedient means and there is truly no thought of desire. Moreover, as the Śīlapaṭala of the Yogācārabhūmi allows lay bodhisattvas to follow desire through expedient means to transform sentient beings, this refers to having a mind as pure as a Buddha while practicing expedient means; yet it still does not permit monastic bodhisattvas to do so, how much less those whose minds are not pure like a Buddha?