止觀輔行傳弘決 2.40.3

2.40.3

… she answered, ‘He really is alive.’ She had a messenger summon him, and I rejoiced greatly.’ The king addressed the Buddha: ‘My lady upholds the five precepts and observes the six monthly fasts. Within a single day, among the five precepts she violated the two against intoxicants and lying, and among the eight precepts she violated five—namely, eating past noon, wearing flowers and fragrances, engaging in entertainment and dancing, sitting on high and broad beds, drinking intoxicants, and speaking falsehoods. Is her sin of breaking the precepts heavy or light?’ The Buddha said: ‘One who violates them in this manner attains great merit. Why is this? Because it was done to bring benefit.’ ” This concerns setting aside the prohibition to rescue beings, a bodhisattva benefiting others; only then can it be called “good within evil,” which is why [the text] says, “Only alcohol, only the precepts.” If one wishes to follow this precedent, one must carefully weigh matters oneself; if one merely follows a lustful mind, it is ultimately not the mark of upholding [the precepts]. Regarding “Vasumitrā” and so forth: The Shuowen says, “Yin (lust) means secret license.” The Zuo zhuan says, “Coveting sexual beauty.” The Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: “Next journeying south, there was a city named Alaṃkāra. There lived a good friend, a woman named Vasumitrā (and so on). Sudhana arrived there seeking this woman. Those in the city who did not know better said: ‘This youth has senses that are tranquil, his wisdom is distinct, he has scrutinized her for a fathom’s length, his gaze does not blink, and his mind does not waver. He should not harbor a lustful mind toward that woman. This youth does not practice demonic fetters (and so on).’ Among them were wise persons who previously knew this woman, and they told Sudhana: ‘Excellent, excellent! You are now able to seek this woman. You have already obtained vast roots of goodness; you must resolutely seek the fruit of buddhahood.’ They offered varied admonitions to shatter the lustful thoughts that all sentient beings harbor toward female form. [They said,] ‘Good son! This woman lives in the city, north of the marketplace, in her own dwelling.’ Hearing this, he rejoiced and went to her gate, seeing that her dwelling was adorned in varied ways. He saw this woman of beautiful appearance and graceful form, skillful in conversation, having entered the skillful means dharma-gate of illusion-like wisdom, with varied adornments upon her body. From her body shone a vast light that universally illuminated the dwelling; those who encountered this light had their bodies purified. He went forward, paid homage at her feet, joined his palms, and addressed her: ‘Noble one! I have already aroused [the aspiration for awakening] (and so on).’ The woman said: ‘I have attained the liberation named the realm of detachment from desire. In accordance with what beings desire, I manifest my body, causing each to see it differently. If those bound by lustful thoughts come to my place, those who hear the Dharma, those who see me, those who hold my hand, those who momentarily ascend my bed, those who see me yawn, and those who see me blink their eyes—all attain detachment from desire. Those who embrace me and kiss my lips each attain a dharma-gate. Formerly, under the Tathāgata King of Lofty Conduct, I was an elder’s wife and gave a single gold coin. At that time Mañjuśrī was the Buddha’s attendant; he preached the Dharma for me and caused me to arouse the aspiration for awakening. Through this I attained the bodhisattva dharma-gate of the realm of detachment from desire. Hence we know that both the one who transforms and the one transformed achieve detachment from desire on account of desire.’ ” Thus it is said, “There is good within evil.” Furthermore, as in the first fascicle of the Bodhisattva Jñānottara Sūtra: Ānanda entered the city to beg for food and saw the Bodhisattva Vijayavikrāmin sitting on the same bed with a woman. [Ānanda] thought: “Has the committing of defilement reached someone so distinguished? Shall one practicing pure conduct commit such things within the teaching of the Tathāgata, contrary to what is seen and heard?” When he uttered these words, the great thousandfold [world] shook in six ways, and the bodhisattva immediately rose into the air, forty-nine feet above the ground, saying to Ānanda: “Could one who has committed desire rise into the air like this?” Ānanda threw himself to the ground in self-reproach: “How could I seek fault in a great dragon?” This too took desire as a dharma-gate. Recently I have seen shameless people who either claim unobstructedness or speak of the fusion of the principle. If they had attained the principle, they ought to be like the company of Vasumitrā and Jñānottara: rising into the air with their bodies, with their primary and dependent [karmic rewards] majestic and splendid, causing others to awaken and enter into immeasurable dharma-gates. Even if they could display supernormal powers, one should still ask them: “From what were these powers obtained? What is the name of the dharma-gate you have personally realized? Under which Buddha did you first arouse the aspiration [for awakening]? How many Buddhas have you served in the past? When in the future will you achieve bodhi? From which Buddha did you receive a prediction? In which direction will you purify a Buddha-field in the future? What will your Buddha-name be? How many assemblies of teaching will there be? What will be the names of your attendant and the one who succeeds your place? What will be your lifespan in kalpas? How many are the numbers of the true and semblance Dharma’s duration?” If they cannot answer such questions, then it is merely demonic power. For the fundamental, outflow-bound supernormal powers of non-Buddhists, once a lustful thought arises, these powers are lost again; or else such people are shameless liars. If they claim that this very body is already a Buddha: Śākyamuni has already entered parinirvāṇa, Maitreya has not yet descended, and this is not a Buddha coming from another world either. If not a demonic thief, who else would this be? If you do not believe in the Buddhas of the ten directions and call yourself a Buddha, this is an extreme transgression. Hence we know that such a person destroys their own aspiration for the path and shatters the good seeds of others. If it were a case of great provisional [beings] using counter-transformations, they would never declare of themselves: “My conduct is unobstructed.” The Bodhisattva Jñānottara Sūtra also says: “Incalculable kalpas ago, there was a brahmacārin named Dīpapradīpa, practicing auspicious vows in the midst of groves and thickets. After four hundred and twenty years, he entered the kingdom of Magadha. A potter’s daughter saw that the brahmacārin was handsome and cast herself before him. The brahmacārin told her: ‘I take no pleasure in desire.’ The woman said: ‘If you cannot [comply], I will immediately kill myself.’ The brahmacārin reflected: ‘I have constantly guarded the precepts; if I were to repeatedly violate them, it would not be auspicious.’ Stepping seven paces away from her, he immediately aroused compassion and wished to break the precept, for otherwise the woman would die. [He thought:] ‘Better that the woman be at peace and I enter hell.’ He complied with her wish for twelve years, and at the end of his life he was born in the Brahmā heaven.” The former case was the inconceivable transformation of the dharma-body; this case was an actual practice of abandoning pure conduct to rescue beings. Those who would emulate this must reflect carefully: if you cannot endure even minor worldly suffering, could you really break the precepts and enter hell? Regarding “Devadatta’s wrong views being identical to right [views]”: between the two characters duo and dou [in Chinese transcriptions of Devadatta], either one may be retained; if both are retained, it is likely a textual error, as noted briefly in the commentary to the first fascicle. He currently abides in Avīci suffering unremitting torment. The Lotus [Sūtra] also says: “Owing to Devadatta, [the Buddha] perfected the marks and signs, and he received the prediction that he would become a Buddha named Devarāja.” With the exception of the Lotus [Sūtra], all other teachings merely say that from life to life he was an evil companion causing affliction; this is because the teachings differ regarding the provisional and the real. Below, “If various…”, is the conclusion. The deep and shallow traces manifested by great provisional beings are difficult to fathom. Looking at the text in a general way, those like Aṅgulimāla seem like ordinary persons, while Vasumitrā entered the stages long ago. Although she had already entered the stages, it refers directly to when she was first an elder’s wife and was able to be detached from desire; this is called good within evil.