佛祖統紀 3.111

3.111

十九年（戊戌）佛成道始。十六年知諸菩薩任持法藏。於欲色天二界中間出大寶階。廣集十方諸佛菩薩大眾。俱登寶階上升虛空。為說大方等大集經。諸菩薩欲來入會。各隨其德先現其相。空藏現空海藏現水。並不見有。大眾唯見空水（餘菩薩現相者皆類此）時諸天龍作如是言。我等從今以往護持正法。若諸國王鞭打出家持戒毀戒者。我等不復護持其國。聲聞弟子悉向他國。使其國土空無福田。令其國土疾疫饑饉刀兵俱起風雨亢旱傷害苗稼。爾時世尊。付囑毘首羯磨天子。迦毘羅夜叉大將。雙瞳目十七天女。各及五千眷屬。汝等護持震旦國土。於彼所有鬪爭言訟。兩陣交戰。饑饉疫病。風雨寒熱悉令休息。令我法眼得久住世。佛告彌勒諸菩薩。我今憐愍諸眾生故。以此報果分作三分。一分自受。一分與我滅後禪解脫三昧堅固相應聲聞令無所乏。一分與彼破戒誦經聲聞正法像法剃頭著袈裟者。令無所乏。勿令惡王共相惱害。復以彼諸施主寄付汝手（大集經○案佛藏經。當一心行道。勿念衣食。如來白毫相中。一分供諸末代一切出家弟子。俱不能盡）佛言。若有出家設不持戒。彼人已為涅槃印之所印。若有打罵若奪衣鉢資生具者。是人則壞諸佛報身。挑一切人天眼目。國王群臣諸斷事者。如見出家作大罪業大殺大盜大污梵行大妄語及餘不善。但擯出國。不聽在寺同僧事業。不得鞭打罵辱加其身罪。若故違法謫罰者。是人遠離人天必歸地獄。何況鞭打出家具足持戒者（大集經）。

In the nineteenth year (wuxu)—sixteen years from when the Buddha first attained awakening—knowing that the bodhisattvas could uphold the Dharma treasury, between the two realms of desire and form he brought forth a great jeweled stairway. He gathered extensively the great assemblies of Buddhas and bodhisattvas from the ten directions, and together they ascended the jeweled stairway up into the sky, where he preached the Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra for them. When the bodhisattvas wished to arrive and join the assembly, each according to their virtues first displayed their signs: Ākāśagarbha manifested empty space, and Sāgaragarbha manifested water; neither saw any substantial forms, and the great assembly saw only empty space and water (the manifestations of the other bodhisattvas were all similar to this). At that time, the devas and dragons spoke thus: 'From this day forward, we shall protect and maintain the true Dharma. If the kings of various countries whip and beat renunciants, whether they hold the precepts or break them, we will no longer protect their countries. The śrāvaka disciples will all leave for other countries, causing those lands to become empty and devoid of fields of merit, bringing about epidemics, famines, and warfare all at once, along with drought and violent storms that harm the crops.' Thereupon the Bhagavat entrusted this to the devaputra Viśvakarman, the great yakṣa general Kapila, and the seventeen devīs with double-pupiled eyes, each together with five thousand attendants: 'Protect and support the land of Cīnasthāna! In that land, cause all disputes, lawsuits, opposing battlelines, famines, epidemics, wind, rain, cold, and heat to entirely cease, so that my Dharma-eye may abide long in the world.' The Buddha told Maitreya and the other bodhisattvas: 'Now, out of compassion for sentient beings, I divide this reward-fruit into three portions: one portion I receive myself; one portion I give to the śrāvakas after my parinirvāṇa who are firmly aligned with dhyāna, liberation, and samādhi, so that they lack nothing; and one portion I give to those who break precepts yet chant the sūtras, the śrāvakas in the periods of the true Dharma and the semblance Dharma who shave their heads and wear the kāṣāya, so that they lack nothing and evil kings will not harass them together. Furthermore, I entrust those donors into your hands.' (Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra. Note: The Fo zang jing states: 'One should practice the Way with single-mindedness, not worrying about clothing or food. Even if one portion of the Tathāgata's white curl between the eyebrows were offered to all renunciant disciples of the final age, it could never be exhausted.') The Buddha said, 'If someone has gone forth from home, even if he fails to keep the precepts, that person is already sealed with the seal of nirvāṇa. If anyone strikes, scolds, or robs him of his robes, bowl, or requisites of life, that person destroys the reward-body of all Buddhas and gouges out the eyes of all humans and devas. If kings, ministers, and adjudicators see a renunciant committing major sinful deeds—great killing, great stealing, great defilement of celibacy, great lying, and other unwholesome acts—they may only banish him from the country and forbid him from remaining in the monastery to share in the Saṅgha's affairs; they must not whip, beat, scold, humiliate, or inflict bodily punishment upon him. If one deliberately violates the Dharma by penalizing them, that person strays far from the human and heavenly realms and is bound for hell; how much more so if one whips and beats a renunciant who fully upholds the precepts!' (Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra).