梵網經菩薩戒本疏 6.55

6.55

Eighth, explaining the text: The text has two parts: First, listing mundane evil matters; second, committing them and thereby adjudicating an offense. In the former, 'evil mind' is the cause of committing evil. 'For the sake of gain' is the condition for committing evil. 'Peddling' and so on explain the evil matters committed. Although evil matters are many, thirteen are briefly listed: 1. Selling sex: living in a brothel selling female sex to men, or selling male sex to women; from the side of teaching another to commit sexual misconduct, in principle it actually incurs a major offense, but here from the side of vending, a light defilement is additionally adjudicated, and therefore two offenses are incurred. 2. Preparing food with one's own hands: an improper act of foul contact. 3. Milling and pounding by oneself: destroying life and foul contact; these two are also criticized by the world. 4. Divining the signs of men and women: divining whether men and women are suitable for marriage, or reading moles and lines on their bodies, or interpreting their dreams as auspicious or inauspicious. 5. Whether it is male or female: divining a pregnancy to distinguish boy or girl. 6. Incantations: doing curses and the like, or using evil incantations to curse dragons and the like. 7. Occult arts: prayer rituals, talismans and written spells, or illusory arts that bewilder and deceive. 8. Crafts: working as an artisan or hired laborer to seek gain. 9. Methods of training falcons: sewing eyelids and the like, and once trained, having them kill living beings. 10. Compounding a hundred kinds of poisons: blending a hundred kinds of poisons to make this medicine, and likewise for a thousand poisons. Since the numbers are more or fewer, in principle their effects are urgent or slow. 11. Snake venom: gathering snakes on the fifth day of the fifth month to compound poisons, or feeding poisons to snakes. 12. Gold and silver: compounding counterfeit gold and silver to deceive people. 13. Gu poison: also using snakes, cat-demons, and the like to harm sentient beings. The words 'entirely lacking a compassionate mind' conclude those evil deeds as lacking a mind of compassion. Second, 'If intentionally done,' the establishment of the offense can be known.