佛制比丘六物圖 1.103

1.103

The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: "Upholding the prohibitive precepts constitutes its nature; shaving the hair and dyeing the robes constitute its mark." However, ordinary people in this defiled world can rarely cultivate and practice them. We must therefore rely on these external marks of deportment to bring luster to the bequeathed teaching. If both internal and external are lost, the destruction of the Dharma will not be long in coming. May all venerable virtues share this resolve to preserve what is in peril. As the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: "Fully upholding the teachings of deportment can keep the Jewel of the Saṅgha unbroken." One who receives the Buddha's bequest has indeed found the right person.