釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 2.27

2.27

1. Regarding the characteristics of keeping: "keeping" means guarding and maintaining. As explained above, the seven kinds of persons receive the Buddha's prohibitive precepts and, for the sake of the ten benefits, guard and maintain them without violating them. The ten benefits, as explained in the Vinaya, are: "1. for gathering the saṅgha; 2. for exceedingly well gathering [the saṅgha]; 3. for the saṅgha to dwell in comfort; 4. for subduing haughty persons; 5. for the conscientious to dwell in comfort; 6. to bring faith to the unbelieving; 7. to increase the faith of those who already believe; 8. to ward off taints in the present life; 9. to sever evil in future lives; 10. to make the pure practitioners dwell long." The practitioner single-mindedly reveres and guards them, not daring to violate or damage them, just as one protects a floating bladder without discarding even a speck of dust; therefore it is called guarding and maintaining, and also called upholding, like the analogy of holding a bowl of oil. These are the characteristics of keeping.