梵網經菩薩戒本疏 4.35

4.35

Next, third, concluding exhortation to cultivate and study, which comprises four [parts]: 1. concluding exhortation to guard against profound [offenses]; 2. explaining the harms of transgression to exhort upholding; 3. upholding being identical throughout the three times; 4. summarizing the abridged and pointing to the extensive. In the first, "you persons of good study" has two meanings: first, it means these persons are those who are good at studying the precepts; second, it means those who study goodness, addressing these persons, meaning the great assembly, and also future practitioners of the bodhisattva path. From "these bodhisattva..." downward concludes the count and names. From "should..." downward is a sincere warning and exhortation, which has a two-fold meaning: first, in a single precept, one should not transgress even a speck of dust, how much less transgress an entire precept. "Dust" clarifies a minute fraction, as worldly saying goes, "a minister has not a speck of dust or dewdrop of merit for the state," etc.; another interpretation is that just as one guards a flotation bladder, not transgressing even a speck of dust, and so forth. Second, among the ten precepts, one should not transgress even one, how much less transgress all ten. Second, from "if one transgresses" downward explains that transgression incurs losses, which contains two [parts]: first, explaining the loss of ten great benefits, and second, explaining incurring the great harms of the three destinies. In the former: 1. losing the great aspiration, meaning that by transgressing these ten major precepts in this present body, one becomes unfit to arouse bodhicitta, because it violates one's original vow and one is not a vessel of the Dharma; 2. losing the status of a king, meaning attaining the status of a minor king has the bodhisattva precepts as its cause, and because the cause is destroyed, the fruit is lost; 3. the status of a wheel-turning king is also like this; 4. losing [the status of] a monk, meaning that having transgressed this precept one must enter hell and definitely cannot become a monk among humans, and furthermore, due to transgressing a major precept, one is presently unviable as a monk, hence it says "losing"; 5. [the status of] a nun is also like this. The above four ranks of loss apply generally to ordinary and Hīnayāna ranks; the five types below are loss of Mahāyāna ranks. Among them, four ranks are causal stages, namely the three grades of worthies and ten grades of sages. One rank is the stage of fruition, which has two: first, the fruit of the dharmakāya, meaning the nature of the stage of fruition is called Buddha-nature; second, the fruit of the saṃbhogakāya, which, being accomplished through wondrous practice, is called the wondrous fruit. The term "eternally abiding" applies to both places; by transgressing these ten major precepts, all such ranks can no longer be accomplished, hence it says "all are lost." Second, from "falling into the three evil..." downward explains that due to transgressing these precepts one enters the hells, hungry ghosts, or animals. "For two kalpas or three kalpas": due to the relative gravity at the time of transgression, as explained before. This person, in those three destinies, according to their corresponding number of kalpas, indeterminate between two or three here or there. "Hearing not the names of parents and so forth": this clarifies that the two parents represent the depth of loving nurture, and the Three Jewels represent the utmost in rescue and protection; suffering pain in those places without hearing these names clarifies that there is no deliverance. Another interpretation: although emerging from evil destinies, one is born in remote lands among the lowly, not hearing the names of the two parents and Three Jewels for two or three kalpas. The text admits both interpretations, as can be known. "Therefore, one should not transgress them one by one" is the general conclusion exhorting upholding. Third, from "you all..." downward admonishes one to study identically with the three times, having two meanings: first, that bodhisattvas of the three times together study these precepts; second, that each bodhisattva should study these precepts across these three stages. Fourth, from "these ten precepts..." downward summarizes the abridged and points to the extensive. In the extensive text of this sūtra, there is a "Chapter on the Eighty Thousand Deportments," in which the characteristics of these ten precepts are extensively explained. The above completes the general explanation of the first section on the ten major precepts.