大乘義章 11.25

11.25

第一辨相。四聖種者，亦名四依。乞食等法能生聖道，與聖為種，故名聖種。起行所憑，故復名依。依別不同，一門說四。四名是何？一盡形乞食、二盡形壽著糞掃衣、三盡形壽樹下常坐、四有病服陳棄藥。為破比丘四種惡欲，故說此四：一破比丘為食惡欲，受乞食；二破比丘衣服惡欲，受糞掃衣；三破比丘房舍臥具惡欲，受樹下坐；四破比丘湯藥惡欲，受陳棄藥。初乞食中，三門分別：一明乞儀、二明所為、三明食法。言乞儀者，有十三種：一住正形乞，不自妄禪得上人法而行乞食。二正威儀乞，執持應器，進止安祥，被服齊整而行乞食，如戒經說。三住正命乞，終不諂曲，執持威儀，不現異相、不禪己善而行乞食，如是一切。四住正見乞，不取乞食以為真道，著取乞食為真道者是戒取攝。五依法乞，非法飲食生罪過者終不乞求。六依時乞，要在中前，不得餘時，故毘尼中迦留陀夷夜行乞食，生世譏嫌，如來制之。七依處乞，若有學處，僧先為作學家羯磨；又有惡人，僧先為作覆鉢羯磨，不得從乞。八依次乞，亦名等乞，不簡貧富次第等乞，除有命難、梵行難處。又觀他人因己乞食而生罪過，終不從乞。九離貪心乞，於所乞求不念美饎、及時早得；又於所乞受求以限，不得過分。十離取著乞，如《維摩》說，於乞食時見色如盲、聞聲如響、臭香如風、於所食味心無分別、受觸如證、知法如幻。十一離瞋惱乞，如《地持》說，若得麁澁留難不時，或加打罵不生瞋惱，方於破所起憐愍心。十二不麁獷乞，軟言乞食終不麁獷，亦不強乞。十三離慢心乞，於乞食時若見貧賤不起輕想，又亦不時乞食生慢。故《遺教》云「當自摩頭，已捨飾好著壞色衣，執持應器以乞自活。自見如是，若起憍慢當自滅之。增長憍慢尚非世俗白衣所宜，何況出家入道之人，為解脫故自降其身而行乞也。」此十三中，初四一分住四正乞，次四一分住依義乞，後五一分捨煩惱乞。乞儀如是。次明所為。所為有二：一為自己資身行道。二為眾生令施得福。凡夫乞食但為自己，設有為他少不足言。聲聞緣覺多為自己，少為他人。菩薩人中有始行者，多為自身少為他人。次行之者，多為他人少為自身。上行之流，唯為眾生。法身菩薩無所假故，佛亦如是。然佛為他，有二十事，如《轉女身經》說：一為示現相好之身，令物覩見發菩提心。二令眾生覩見佛身，盲者見色、聾者聞聲、啞者能言，如是一切。三乞食故，現受諸天龍鬼神等所奉供養，令人覩見發菩提心。四捨尊位出家乞食，息物慢高，發菩提心。五令大德諸天人等，見佛慈心愍物乞食，學佛為之。六有眾生欲見如來，以懈怠故不能往見，佛知其心，現行乞食令彼覩見。七令眾生見佛聞法遠，離愚癡漸，增出世涅槃之因。八有眾生繫閉牢獄或受楚毒，因見佛故，即得解脫發菩提心，故行乞食。九有女人欲供養佛，而為父母親戚所護不能奉獻，佛為受之，故行乞食。十如來鉢四王所奉，佛持乞食，若有眾生欲少布施，少物即滿；欲多施者，多物不滿，欲休乃滿，令人覩見發菩提心，故行乞食。十一如來鉢中所成之食，施一切僧終無增減，令人覩見發菩提心。十二如來鉢中成百千種食味，味味各別不相和雜猶如別器，令人覩見發菩提心。十三佛身一合之體，其內不空如實金剛，無生熟藏大小便利，雖現有食而無入者，令釋梵等覩見發心。十四有人施佛，若多若少、若麁若妙，福皆無盡乃至涅槃，佛為是故現行乞食。十五如來常定現行乞食，令人覩見發菩提心。十六如來若常不行乞食，有人學之，便常飢餓羸疲無力，不能修得過人智慧，故行乞食。十七如來善攝四聖種故，現行乞食。十八佛若不乞，未來不信，諸長者等見比丘乞，便作是言：「汝家世尊不行乞食，汝何故乞？」為破是言，故行乞食。十九有諸豪貴隨佛出家，恥於乞食，故佛行乞食，令彼學之不生羞恥。二十如來為度根熟眾生，處處隨逐，故行乞食。所為如是。次辨食法。隨所乞得，於自所食三分留一，所餘著淨處施與眾生。隨所欲食，上奉諸佛、次獻賢聖、下施眾生，然後食之。故《維摩》言「供養一切及眾賢聖，然後可食。」然於所食當壞貪想，如藥塗瘡飢世食子，不生味著。復應生厭，為是食故多致苦惱，願得法身維此食過。食已念道，報施主恩。食法如是。糞掃衣者，外國法，死人之衣、火燒鼠齧如是等衣，棄之巷野，事同糞掃，名糞掃衣。問曰：何故飲食須乞，衣受糞掃？釋言：飲食乞求易得，無妨修道，故行乞食。衣乞難得，懼妨修道，是以不乞。又外國法，糞掃之衣求覓易得，無妨修道，故受糞掃。食不如是，是以須乞。樹下坐者，樹能陰覆，事同半舍，不須造作，省事修道，是以依之。陳棄藥者，所謂大便，除病易得，無妨修道，故病服之。辨相如是（此一門竟）。

First, explaining the characteristics. The four noble lineages (āryavaṃśa) are also called the four resources (niśraya). Practices such as begging for food can give birth to the noble path and serve as seeds for nobility, hence they are called 'noble lineages'. Because they are what one relies upon to initiate practice, they are further called 'resources'. Although the specific resources differ, under one heading four are spoken of. What are the names of the four? First, begging for food throughout one's life; second, wearing rags from the dust heap throughout one's lifespan; third, always sitting under a tree throughout one's lifespan; fourth, taking fermented, discarded medicine when ill. These four are spoken of in order to break the four kinds of evil desires of monks: first, to break a monk's evil desire for food, one accepts begging for food; second, to break a monk's evil desire for clothing, one accepts rags from the dust heap; third, to break a monk's evil desire for dwellings and bedding, one accepts sitting under trees; fourth, to break a monk's evil desire for hot decoctions and medicine, one accepts fermented, discarded medicine. Within the first, begging for food, there is a threefold distinction: first, clarifying the protocol of begging; second, clarifying its purpose; third, clarifying the method of eating. Regarding the protocol of begging, there are thirteen kinds: 1. Begging while abiding in correct bodily demeanor: one does not falsely display meditation or claim superhuman qualities while begging for food. 2. Begging with correct deportment: holding the alms bowl, advancing and stopping with composure, and wearing one's robes neatly when begging for food, as described in the Vinaya sutras. 3. Begging while abiding in right livelihood: never being deceitful, maintaining deportment, not showing unusual appearances, and not displaying one's own virtues while begging for food, and all such things. 4. Begging while abiding in right view: not grasping begging for food as being the true Path itself; grasping begging for food as the true Path is subsumed under adherence to rites and rituals (śīlavrata-parāmarśa). 5. Begging in accordance with the Dharma: never begging for illicit food and drink that give rise to faults and offenses. 6. Begging according to the proper time: it must be before noon and not at any other time; hence, in the Vinaya, when Kālodāyin went begging for food at night and brought about worldly censure, the Tathāgata established a prohibition against it. 7. Begging according to proper places: if there is a household under training (śaikṣa-kula), the Saṅgha has beforehand performed the karman of a household under training for it; again, if there is an evil person, the Saṅgha has beforehand performed the karman of turning over the bowl for them, and one must not beg from them. 8. Begging in sequential order, also called begging impartially: begging in sequence without discriminating between rich and poor, except in places where there is danger to life or danger to pure conduct (brahmacarya); furthermore, observing that another person would generate offenses on account of one's begging, one never begs from them. 9. Begging free from greedy thoughts: not thinking about delicious foods or obtaining them early at the proper time with regard to what is begged; furthermore, limiting what one accepts and seeks from begging, not exceeding the proper measure. 10. Begging free from attachment: as the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa says, when begging for food, seeing forms as if blind, hearing sounds as if an echo, scents and fragrances being like the wind, having no discrimination in mind regarding the flavors of the food, receiving touches as if in direct realization, and knowing dharmas to be like an illusion. 11. Begging free from anger and vexation: as the Bodhisattvabhūmi says, if one obtains coarse and rough food, is obstructed and delayed, or is even beaten and scolded, one does not give rise to anger and vexation, but rather gives rise to a mind of compassion toward the offender. 12. Begging without harshness: begging for food with gentle words, never being harsh, nor begging by force. 13. Begging free from arrogance: when begging for food, if one sees the poor and lowly, one does not give rise to thoughts of contempt, nor does one generate arrogance when begging for food out of season; hence the Bequeathed Teachings Sutra says, 'You should rub your own head: having already discarded fine ornaments and worn robes of decayed color, holding the alms bowl to sustain yourself through begging. Seeing yourself thus, if pride and arrogance arise, you must extinguish them yourself. The increase of pride and arrogance is not even suitable for worldly white-robed laity, how much less so for a person who has left home to enter the Path, who lowers their own body to beg for the sake of liberation!' Among these thirteen, the first four form a section on begging while abiding in the four correctnesses; the next four form a section on begging while abiding in conformity with the criteria; the last five form a section on begging while abandoning afflictions. Such is the protocol of begging. Next, clarifying the purpose. The purpose is twofold: first, for oneself, to sustain the body to practice the Path; second, for sentient beings, to enable their giving to attain merit. When an ordinary person begs for food, it is only for themselves; even if they do so for others, it is so little as to not be worth mentioning. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas do so mostly for themselves and little for others. Among bodhisattvas, those who are beginners do so mostly for their own bodies and little for others; those of intermediate practice do so mostly for others and little for their own bodies; the class of those of superior practice do so solely for sentient beings. Because dharmakāya bodhisattvas have no need for reliance, the Buddha is also like this. However, when the Buddha acts for others, there are twenty matters, as spoken in the Strīvivarta-sūtra: 1. In order to manifest the body of marks and signs, causing beings to see it and generate bodhicitta. 2. To cause sentient beings who behold the Buddha's body to have the blind see forms, the deaf hear sounds, the mute be able to speak, and so forth with all such things. 3. Because of begging for food, manifesting the reception of offerings made by devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits, causing people to see this and generate bodhicitta. 4. Renouncing honorable status to leave home and beg for food, putting an end to beings' haughtiness and pride, and causing them to generate bodhicitta. 5. Causing virtuous devas and humans to see the Buddha's compassionate mind pitying beings by begging for food, and emulate the Buddha in doing so. 6. There being sentient beings who wish to see the Tathāgata but cannot go to see him due to indolence; the Buddha, knowing their minds, manifests walking to beg for food to cause them to behold him. 7. Causing sentient beings to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma from afar, gradually leaving behind ignorance and increasing the causes of supramundane nirvāṇa. 8. There being sentient beings bound in prison or suffering painful torture who, by virtue of seeing the Buddha, immediately attain liberation and generate bodhicitta; hence he walks to beg for food. 9. There being women who wish to make offerings to the Buddha but are restrained by parents and relatives and unable to present them; the Buddha accepts them on their behalf, and hence walks to beg for food. 10. The Tathāgata's bowl was presented by the Four Heavenly Kings; when the Buddha holds it to beg for food, if there are sentient beings who wish to give a little, a small amount immediately fills it; for those who wish to give much, a large amount does not fill it, and it only fills when they wish to stop—causing people to see this and generate bodhicitta; hence he walks to beg for food. 11. The food that comes to be in the Tathāgata's bowl, when given to the entire Saṅgha, never increases or decreases, causing people to see this and generate bodhicitta. 12. Hundreds of thousands of kinds of food flavors are produced in the Tathāgata's bowl, each flavor remaining distinct and unmixed as if in separate vessels, causing people to see this and generate bodhicitta. 13. The Buddha's body is a unified mass whose interior is not hollow, like true vajra, lacking digestive organs for raw and cooked food or excrement and urine; although there appears to be food, nothing enters—causing Śakra, Brahmā, and others to see this and generate the aspiration [for awakening]. 14. If someone gives to the Buddha, whether much or little, coarse or exquisite, their merit is inexhaustible right up to nirvāṇa; for this reason, the Buddha manifests walking to beg for food. 15. The Tathāgata is always in samādhi yet manifests walking to beg for food, causing people to see this and generate bodhicitta. 16. If the Tathāgata were never to walk to beg for food, someone emulating him would constantly starve, becoming emaciated, exhausted, and powerless, unable to cultivate and attain superhuman wisdom; hence he walks to beg for food. 17. Because the Tathāgata skillfully maintains the four noble lineages, he manifests walking to beg for food. 18. If the Buddha did not beg, future unbelieving householders and others, seeing monks beg, would say: 'Your World-Honored One does not walk to beg for food; why do you beg?' To refute these words, he walks to beg for food. 19. There being nobles and aristocrats who have left home following the Buddha but are ashamed to beg for food; the Buddha walks to beg for food so that they may emulate him without feeling shame. 20. In order to liberate sentient beings whose faculties have matured, the Tathāgata follows them from place to place; hence he walks to beg for food. Such are the purposes. Next, distinguishing the method of eating. From whatever one obtains by begging, one sets aside one-third of one's own food, placing the remainder in a pure place to give to sentient beings. Whatever one intends to eat, one first offers it up to the Buddhas, next presents it to the worthy and noble, and below gives it to sentient beings, and only then may one eat it. Hence the Vimalakīrti says: 'Make offerings to all [sentient beings] and the assembly of worthy and noble ones, and only then may you eat.' Furthermore, regarding the food consumed, one should dismantle thoughts of greed, treating it like medicine applied to a wound or like eating the flesh of one's child in a famine, not giving rise to attachment to flavor. One should also generate revulsion, thinking: 'Because of this food, much suffering and affliction is incurred; I vow to attain the dharmakāya to transcend these faults of food.' Having eaten, one contemplates the Path and repays the kindness of the donor. Such is the method of eating. Rags from the dust heap (pāṃśukūla): according to foreign customs, clothes of the dead, clothes burned by fire or gnawed by rats, and clothes of such kinds are discarded in alleys and wilderness, being equivalent to rubbish; hence they are named 'rags from the dust heap'. Question: Why must food and drink be begged, while clothing is accepted from the dust heap? Explanation: Begging for food and drink is easy to obtain and does not hinder cultivation of the Path; hence one walks to beg for food. Begging for clothing is difficult to obtain, and fearing it would hinder cultivation of the Path, one therefore does not beg for it. Furthermore, according to foreign customs, finding rags from the dust heap is easy and does not hinder cultivation of the Path, hence one accepts rags from the dust heap. Food is not like this, which is why one must beg for it. Sitting under a tree: a tree can provide shelter and shade, serving as half a dwelling; it does not require construction, saving labor for cultivating the Path, and is therefore relied upon. Fermented, discarded medicine: namely, cow dung and urine, which cure diseases, are easy to obtain, and do not hinder cultivation of the Path; hence one takes them when ill. Such is the explanation of the characteristics (this concludes the first section).