釋門章服儀 1.7

1.7

The bodhisattva said: 'Ever since the Dharma King appeared to benefit [the world], he abundantly opened the way of compassion; the path of universal love is truly a ferry and bridge for all species. Even the distracted good deeds of the desire realm take universal salvation as their primary teaching; and the tranquil conditions of the form realm likewise hold the four great vows as their chief guide. How much more so for the Way that transcends all realms and virtue that leaps beyond the cage! One does not passively endure inhumanity—how could one harbor affection for slaughter? This can be known with certainty. Have you not heard? Let me explain it further for you. Regarding meat-eating and silken garments, permissions and prohibitions were established according to individual capacities; but regarding harming life and destroying existence, the ultimate intention is an immediate, total cessation. Thus one knows that the act of adapting to transform beings succeeds marvelously through realizing nature; and the strategy of gathering and employing ultimately aims at supporting the principle. Yet because the pure source has long since waned and the frivolous ways cannot be retrieved, kāṣāyas now show signs of turning white, and śramaṇas have severed the path of seeking the profound. Holding my knees and lost in long reflection, how could I express it in full?'