觀心論疏 3.8

3.8

First, fulfilling the five conditions: first, keeping the precepts purely; second, having sufficient food and clothing; third, dwelling in a quiet and secluded place; fourth, putting an end to various involvements and duties; fifth, obtaining good spiritual friends. The Chan jing says: "Although the four conditions are fulfilled, guidance depends on a good teacher." Thus we know that using the five dharmas is the ladder for entering the Path; if one is missing, it obstructs the undertaking. First, keeping the precepts: sources in the sūtras and treatises are very numerous, but following the Dazhidulun there are ten kinds of precepts: non-deficient, non-broken, non-pierced, non-mixed, following the Path, unattached, praised by the wise, master of ease, following concentration, and complete. These ten generally take the innate precepts as their root. The Dazhidulun says: "The innate precepts are the eight kinds of bodily and vocal [conduct] of śīla, namely three of the body and four of the mouth, plus not drinking alcohol, which constitutes pure livelihood guarding the ground of mind"; it also says: "The ten virtues are śīla." Even when a Buddha does not appear in the world, they always exist in the world, hence they are called the 'old precepts'; when a Buddha does not appear in the world, ordinary beings also cultivate the eight doors of dhyāna, hence it is called 'old concentration'; the sixty-two non-Buddhist wrong views and the like are the old physician's milk medicine, termed 'old wisdom'. Here, the three refuges, the five precepts, and the two hundred and fifty [precepts] are taken as 'guest precepts'; the fundamental pure dhyāna contemplations, practices, and cultivations are taken as 'guest concentration'; and the wisdom of the four truths is taken as 'guest wisdom', which exist only when a Buddha appears. As for the innate precepts, regardless of whether one has received them or not, transgressing them is a sin; whether one has received them or not, upholding them is good. If one has received the precepts, upholding them generates merit, and transgressing them incurs sin; if one has not received them, there is no merit, and if one has not received them, transgressing incurs no [preceptual] sin. Just as cutting grass and harming animals are sins that are both eliminated by direct confession. The unmanifest of the concentration-concomitant precepts arises together with concentration. Some say: it exists when entering concentration and ceases when emerging from concentration. Some say: the unmanifest depends on concentration; as long as concentration remains, it is not lost, but when concentration declines, it vanishes. As for the unmanifest of the path-concomitant [precepts], this unmanifest depends on the Path; because the Path is never lost, this too is never lost. Precepts, concentration, and the Path all share the name of 'precepts', and all take the innate precepts as their root. Therefore a sūtra says: "Relying on these precepts, one can give rise to the dhyāna concentrations and the wisdom that eliminates suffering"—this is precisely the meaning. Upholding these ten kinds of precepts subsumes all precepts. The non-deficient precept means upholding the innate precepts up to the four pārājikas, guarding them purely as one cherishes a bright pearl. If one violates them, like a vessel that is chipped and unusable, one becomes an outcast from the Buddha-Dharma, not a śramaṇa or a son of the Śākyas, losing the status of a bhikṣu; hence it is called 'deficient'. The non-broken [precept] means upholding the thirteen [saṃghāvaśeṣas] without rupture or damage. If one violates them, it is like a vessel cracking. The non-pierced [precept] means upholding the prāyaścittikas and so forth. If one violates them, like a pierced vessel that leaks, one cannot receive the Path; hence it is called 'pierced'. The non-mixed [precept] means upholding the concentration-concomitant precepts. Although upholding the rules of deportment, thinking of transgressing the precepts is called 'mixed'; when concentration-concomitant [precepts] uphold the mind, desiring thoughts do not arise, hence it is called 'non-mixed'. The precept following the Path accords with the principle of truth and can destroy the delusions of view. The unattached precept means seeing the truth and becoming a sage, having no defiled attachment to the delusions of inclination. These two precepts are discussed as keeping the precepts in relation to the ultimate truth. The precepts praised by the wise and master of ease: these two precepts pertain to the bodhisattva's transformation of others, being praised by the Buddhas and attaining mastery within the mundane world; this is discussing the keeping of precepts in relation to conventional truth. The two precepts of following concentration and complete mean following the Śūraṅgama samādhi, not arising from the cessation concentration yet manifesting all deportments and displaying images in the ten dharma-realms to guide and benefit sentient beings. Although the deportments are set in motion, they are spontaneously always pure; hence it is called the precept following concentration. The previous various precepts prevent and guard through rules of deportment, hence they are called incomplete; the Middle Way precept lacks no precept, hence it is called complete—this is upholding the Middle Way, highest truth precept; using the wisdom of the Middle Way, it universally enters all phenomena. Therefore a sūtra says: "Śikṣā"—śikṣā is named the Mahāyāna precept. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra explains the five branches of precepts and the ten kinds of precepts, whose import is roughly the same. Even if various sūtras and treatises further explain the characteristics of precepts, they never go beyond these ten headings (and so forth). Grouping the first three kinds of precepts, they are called the precepts of discipline, embracing good and preventing evil. From the fundamental beginning up to non-pierced, being pure down to the finest detail, they are collectively called the precepts of discipline; all ordinary beings with distracted minds can uphold these precepts. Next, the single non-mixed precept: the dharma of concentration upholds the mind so that the mind does not move falsely, body and mouth are also tranquil, and the three karmas are bright as a mirror—this is the concentration-concomitant precept. When entering concentration, it is spontaneously unmixed; when emerging from concentration, body and mouth are pliant and also unmixed. When ordinary beings enter concentration, they are able to uphold it. The precept following the Path is upheld by sages upon the first fruit seeing the truth, realizing truth, and becoming holy; it is upheld by sages, not something ordinary beings can uphold. The unattached precept is upheld by people of the third fruit, not by those of the first fruit either. Praised by the wise and master of ease: these are precepts that bodhisattvas must uphold to benefit others, not something upheld by the two vehicles. Following concentration and complete: these are upheld by those of great faculties, not something that can be upheld by bodhisattvas of the six perfections or the shared teaching, let alone ordinary beings and the two vehicles! The preceding distinguished high and low stages, where factual aspects differ; but if one discusses keeping precepts by contemplating the mind in a single thought-moment, one can fully uphold all ten kinds of precepts above. First, group the ten precepts into four meanings: The first four precepts are merely phenomena born of causes and conditions, universally serving as the object of contemplation. The next two precepts mean contemplating that phenomena born of causes and conditions are empty—this is keeping precepts through the contemplation of emptiness. The next two precepts contemplate that causes and conditions are conventional—this is keeping precepts through the contemplation of conventionality. The next two precepts contemplate that phenomena born of causes and conditions are the Middle—this is keeping precepts through the contemplation of the Middle. As for saying that the contemplation of the mind is phenomena born of causes and conditions: if one contemplates that a single thought-moment of mind arises from evil conditions, it can destroy the fundamental [precepts] down to the non-mixed precept and so on; because it conflicts with good, it is called evil. With a mind that accords with good in thought after thought, preventing evil thoughts, one can cause the fundamental down to the non-mixed precepts to be goodly, accordantly perfected without damage; hence it is called a good mind, named preventing evil thoughts. Once the body is stilled, the mouth is also like this. Preventing is the good of stopping; accordant goodness is the good of acting. The good of acting is contemplation; the good of stopping is śamatha. This is called contemplating the mind born of causes and conditions to uphold the four kinds of precepts. Matters of vehicle and precepts, laxity and urgency, and purification through repentance are all fully explained in the Mohe zhiguan (and so forth).