量處輕重儀 2.48

2.48

The previous five items are all included under heavy property, and they are the foremost causes of incurring criticism and obstructing the Way. First, regarding agricultural affairs: even despised worldly literati do not look upon them, much less the world-transcending fivefold assembly; rationally they should not be overseen by one's own person. Thus, the Dazhidulun states: "Inferior wrong livelihood refers to plowing fields and planting crops to obtain profit and maintain life; only when free from such undertakings is it called right livelihood." Now, personally engaging in manual labor or teaching others to plant is an evil conduct that corrupts families, generates faults, obstructs the Way, and brings especially grave defilement and censure; hence it is classified as heavy property. As for the second prohibition: the lives of humans and livestock require sustenance and support; a bhikṣu holds high and pure conduct, aiming high to benefit far and wide. If humans and animals gather together now, matters of filth and disorder become profound; if worldly matters are still performed and maintained, how can this form a bridge to entering the Way? Since labor and weariness apply to both, they are surrendered to the saṅgha, and there are many avenues for retaining or releasing them, as in the earlier rulings. As for the third prohibition: instruments of music and licentiousness are inherently not things to be harbored by the eyes and mind; if hearing their sounds is already prohibited as an offense, how could viewing them with the eyes be without guilt? The primary regulation forbids bodily contact in order to dispel attachment. If one now personally beats and plays them, the reason is intoxication; thus there are weeping, shedding tears, physical collapse, and mental agitation, which worldly people call actors and performers, and truly for good reason. Since the bans of the Way are strictly closed against this and the faults and excesses are especially profound, rationally they should be burned and destroyed to signify correction. However, for worldly people to generate joy, release anger, and dispel confusion, there is a slight condition for making offerings and merit, showing a modest sign of taking refuge; if there are such, they should be sold, which accords with the general text of the orthodox treatises. As for the fourth prohibition: military weapons inherently obstruct the way of compassion; states institute them only out of necessity to prepare against the unexpected; leaving the world inherently involves abhorring them. To delight in them now all the more becomes the root of faults, belonging either to the number of evil precepts or generating kalpas of warfare; harmful in both the present and future, on what principle could they be kept? They should be smashed, burned, and eliminated to uproot continuing evils. As for the fifth prohibition: gold and silver are prized and heavy, and money and grain yield deep profit. They can open the gate of unrighteousness and directly block the path of pure elevation. Therefore, both sūtras and vinayas lament the destruction of the Dharma over them, and both monastics and laity recognize the defilement of the mind; according to the treatises, one should assign someone to discard them, highlighting how intensely impure this karma is. However, the Vinaya accommodates deliberations of the times, with the intention of rectifying faults: during life, one performs vikalpanā and hands them over to other laypeople to manage and guard; upon death, they are collected into the permanent property and entrusted to the administrators.