菩薩戒本疏 2.66

2.66

"Being careful at the end and pursuing [reverence for] the distant past causes the virtues of the people to return to thickness." Releasing living beings to rescue them from mortal peril, and holding vegetarian feasts and lecturing [on scriptures] to aid departed spirits—these are good actions that practice compassion and repay kindness; hence, [this precept] is established to enjoin their performance. The Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna differ here. A great being (bodhisattva) should deliver all beings, because universal compassion is all-pervading. The śrāvaka focuses particularly on family members and is not restricted beyond them, because they seek self-deliverance. The seven assemblies all commit this offense. The text has two parts: first, releasing living beings to rescue them from mortal peril; second, holding vegetarian feasts and lecturing to aid departed spirits. The first part also has two aspects: initially, practicing the release of living beings with a compassionate mind; subsequently, resolving their suffering and difficulties through skillful means. Under the initial aspect, regarding "out of a mind of compassion, one performs the deed of releasing living beings": seeing their plight near death, one deeply gives rise to a compassionate mind and releases them to preserve their lives. From "all men are my fathers" downward, the reason for cultivating a compassionate mind toward the living beings to be rescued is explained. This contains two points: first, giving rise to the contemplation of universal equality of kinship toward all living beings; second, giving rise to the contemplation of non-duality (one body) toward all entities. In the former, regarding "men and women as fathers and mothers": in terms of phenomenal appearances, they are tentatively correlated, but in terms of reality, across different lives all men and women are universally fathers and mothers. Since the sentient beings of the six paths are all one's kin, seeing their distress and suffering, one cannot fail to rescue them. Regarding "yet killing and eating them is killing one's parents": this raises their universal kinship and also prohibits killing and eating them. From "and also killing one's former body" downward, the contemplation of one body is explained. Taking advantage of the momentum within this, killing and eating are first stopped, and thereafter the contemplation of one body is properly explained. Regarding "all earth and water are my past bodies, all fire and wind are my original substance": the bodies of sentient beings are formed by gathering the four great elements; at the time of birth, they aggregate into a body, and at the time of death, they disperse into entities. Although aggregating and dispersing follow conditions, their nature is not distinct; viewing them broadly, none are not one's own substance. Therefore, that the sage takes all living beings as their own body and all entities as their own substance is inherently so in principle—how could it be otherwise? Thus, one always practices the release of living beings to bring them relief. From "life after life receiving birth" downward, resolving suffering and difficulties through skillful means is explained. Regarding "life after life receiving birth": although repeatedly undergoing birth and experiencing death, one's compassionate contemplation becomes ever deeper. From "if one sees people of the world" downward, properly rescuing and delivering through skillful means is explained. The living beings being killed undergo present suffering; the persons who kill will receive future suffering. Therefore, toward both the killer and the killed, one universally gives rise to compassion and rescues them. Regarding "one should apply skillful means to rescue and protect them, resolving their suffering and difficulties": this rescues the living beings being killed, resolving their present suffering. Regarding "always teaching, transforming, lecturing on, and expounding the bodhisattva precepts to rescue and deliver sentient beings": this rescues the living beings who can kill, warding off their future suffering. From "if on the day of death of parents" downward, holding vegetarian feasts and lecturing to aid departed spirits is discussed. The power of the Dharma is inconceivable, and its unseen aid is not in vain; therefore, wherever the departed spirit may dwell among the destinies, except for those in the two determinate [retributions], they will surely receive benefit. Question: Since mental continua are distinct, how can cultivating meritorious causes here allow another to obtain a pleasurable fruit there? That would violate cause and effect by having one perform and another receive. Answer: In the principle of cause and effect, there is indeed no case where I act and another receives; yet, since they are mutually conditioned, it is not without mutual assistance. Thus Maudgalyāyana generated merit, and his mother's spirit was freed from the suffering of hunger; Na-she cultivated goodness, and his father's spirit was spared from severe calamity. Thus the principle of mutual resonance is an inevitable matter of course.