廣弘明集 26
English (machine translation) 26
- Language
- English
26.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoxuan of Ximing Temple of the Great Tang
26.2
Now, the way of compassionate salvation has been looked up to throughout antiquity; the method of valuing life has always been held in esteem. Therefore, of the wriggling living beings and the twittering, tweeting creatures, none does not value its physical form and love its life, or loathe birth and dread death. This can be seen from everyday affairs; what need is there for words? However, natures have gradations of benightedness and brightness, and feelings harbor cravings and desires. The bright measure others by themselves and do not inflict distress upon sentient beings; the benighted hold self-interest in their hearts and pay no regard to the lives of other creatures. Therefore, they can coldly inflict suffering and pain, indulging their greed and delusion, regarding extensive slaughter as showing power and prestige, and seeing the pursuit of desire as meritorious. Thus we know that although Bai Qi buried more than six hundred thousand men of Zhao alive, he ultimately fell upon his own sword in the state of Qin; although someone took lavish feasts spreading ten feet square as standard fare, he met with extreme execution in the public marketplace. When disaster strikes and retribution arrives, they only then regret the origin of their faults, vainly longing for parental care, but to no avail. The fundamental teaching of the Śākyan lineage, however, takes the cessation of killing as foremost; through this single path it undertakes to deliver all existing beings. Therefore, compassion is the Buddha's mind; compassion is the Buddha's dwelling. The power of compassionate roots of goodness manifests according to circumstances. With a mind of compassionate virtue, through penetrative clarity one arouses consideration and ascends to the Form Realm. How much more so with the absorption of deep and superior compassion, which cannot be harmed by weapons or poisons; and the manifested signs of compassionate virtue, which tame snakes and tigers. In this degenerate age, many followers follow their own minds; without thinking of donning the robes of endurance and displaying the appearance of a field of merit, they indulge in gluttony, putting wine and meat first, eating and drinking differently from the common throng, yet considering their attainments equal to those of sages and worthies. The scriptural proclamations clearly state that such persons may not take the Buddha as their master; the dust-mote stains of mockery and ugliness, and the destruction of the Dharma, lie precisely in this! Furthermore, regarding wearing silk and eating meat, we hear the severe admonition of Lord Shen; regarding brewing and butchering, we see the strict punishments of Emperor Wu of the Liang. Observing their texts of exhortation and discerning their utmost earnestness, it is enough to make the heart grow cold and the body tremble—how could it be compared to walking on thin ice? Therefore, when superior persons hear this, their tears flow without ceasing; while the utterly foolish examine this as if it were a gale sweeping through an empty forest. Moreover, the transitions of birth and death do not cease from dawn to dusk; receiving retribution according to karma, one sinks and wanders without end. Without considering the exhaustion of body and spirit, they value the fleeting pleasures of the palate; in the end they will be ground to dust upon the great earth, but what benefit will there be to the spirit? Therefore, the Perfect Person sheds tears, constantly grieving for reckless lives; the Great Being utters sighs, lamenting over souls trapped in afflictions. Beating their breasts and condoling with their own shadows, how could they not pity themselves? Once suffering descends, how can one escape blame? Not yet established in the stage of right certainty, how can one resist falling into the three evil destinies? With practice not yet having reached the first stage, one will ultimately harbor the five fears. I have casually set forth these categories of matters; let the discerning reflect upon them.
26.3
Expanded Collection for the Propagation and Clarification of Buddhism, Chapter 6: Compassionate Salvation
Treatise on Ultimate Compassion (Shen Xiuwen of the Qi)
Letter to He Yin on Refraining from Killing (Zhou Yong of the Liang)
Edict Prohibiting Killing and Abolishing Sacrificial Victims in the Ancestral Temple (Emperor Wu of Liang, together with memorials)
Family Instructions Admonishing Against Killing (Yan Zhitui of the Northern Qi)
Text on Abstaining from Wine and Meat (Emperor Wu of the Liang)
26.4
Treatise on Ultimate Compassion
26.5
Shen Xiuwen
26.6
The doctrinal principle of the Śākya clan is rooted in compassion. The essential point of compassion is to prioritize the preservation of life. Forgiving others by reflecting upon one's own mind, and regarding beings through one's own person, it seeks to allow all classes endowed with consciousness and awareness, and all creatures that cherish life and dread death, to each fulfill their proper nature and escape premature demise. Yet mundane delusions have long persisted, and entrenched confusion is hard to alter. To reform them in a single morning would provoke bewilderment and astonishment. Establishing teachings and devising methods must always proceed gradually. Furthermore, what emotional appetites are stained by, nothing exceeds sweet and rich foods. Desires staining the emotions are especially difficult to reform all at once. For this reason, the three kinds of pure meat were provisionally introduced to express the expedient path. When the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was taught at the end, and the spoken words were about to cease, the Lord's profound pity was manifested and bequeathed to the future. Now, meat-eating and silk clothing do not differ in principle; killing life and bringing creatures to an untimely end are equal in deed and one in principle. Boiling cocoons and scalding moths to mush is not a pain that can be endured. Hanging up carcasses in the kitchen and serving them on slaughter-trays—how could this be an unbalanced deed? Yet what is accepted and rejected differs in sentiment, and what is permitted and restrained differs in canonical texts. Seeking the waves and probing the source, there is truly something not yet comprehended. The fisherman presents his tuna, and eating meat shares the same condition; the silkworm-raising maid gathers silk, and silk clothing equally partakes of the guilt. The implication of doing so through another's hand is no different; the details of what is permitted or forbidden remain undifferentiated. Inquiring into principle and seeking the source, one knows not where to turn. Non-Buddhist texts say: 'Plant mulberry trees around a homestead of five mu, and those of sixty years may wear silk. Do not miss the breeding seasons of fowls, pigs, dogs, and swine, and those of seventy years may eat meat.' If so, then before fifty-nine years of age, one ought to wear coarse cloth. Before sixty-nine years of age, one ought to eat vegetables. Light and warm clothing upon the body is already hard to relinquish; sweet flavors in the mouth are likewise not easily abandoned. Comparing the two, neither has superiority or inferiority. Coarse hemp and fruits and vegetables are equal in fact and identical in meaning; warding off cold and filling the belly have never had a single difference. If silk and wadding were exclusively permitted, there must have been an alternative reason. Permit me to venture an explanation: The sacred Way is lofty and profound, and without deliberation it cannot be thoroughly grasped; benevolence covers all sentient beings, and in principle there is no partial neglect. Rescuing the gross and eliminating the extreme are the pressing concerns of doctrinal teachings. Wearing silk and eating meat were permitted if one did not do it oneself. But when the great scripture was expounded in the Lord's final teachings and the wondrous instructions were broadly proclaimed, the intent to prohibit meat was expressly set down in words. The meaning of discarding silk may definitively be known from this. That at the beginning of the purified prohibitions, silk and leather were still permitted, is merely because the procedures of exposition have their proper sequence. This is just as the two meanings of icchantika both exist within a single sūtra; the two conflicting accounts were each established according to the progression of teachings. If one clings to what came before and is deluded regarding what followed, then icchantikas would have no path of entering goodness; and if purifying prohibitions permitted silk, then sentient creatures would have no hope of sudden deliverance. Challengers may also object that icchantikas entering the Path was heard in the later teachings, whereas that silk and leather should be prohibited has never had any clear principle stated. Yet how could the Great Sage's expansive intention be in vain? The profound mysteries of eternal abiding met with distant obstacles in transmission and translation. When the Parinirvāṇa Sūtra was first translated, all considered it complete; only when it emerged in Hexi did they know it was not yet exhaustive. When expounded later in Guanzhong, its meaning became all the more fluent. Tracing its historical currents, the earlier texts were in principle not yet complete. Moreover, examining the opening exposition of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, only the three assemblies of King Ajātaśatru, Mahākāśyapa, and Ānanda did not arrive. Later, the two did come together, yet only Kāśyapa was absent. Kāśyapa was the Buddha's great disciple; it is inconceivable that he would not arrive, yet the sūtra has no text recording his arrival; thus the principle was not completely recorded. Formerly, before the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was unfolded, famous monks on Mount Lu had already adopted a vegetarian diet for over a decade. Could this not be because, following their minds and practicing in obscurity, they naturally accorded with principle? Furthermore, tearing a bolt of silk once can last a whole year; slaughtering a beast for a meal takes only hours or a day. Thus, eight batches of silkworms a year is already startling in speed, while spending an entire morning without meat throws the whole household into shock and lamentation. In rescuing the imperiled and aiding the suffering, one prioritizes what is most urgent; the sequence of exposition truly lies in this principle. An external sage also said: 'If one person does not plow, someone will surely suffer hunger because of him; thus, if one person plows in person, someone will also be filled.' Although sericulture in the fields and fishing in the rivers are not done by oneself, roasting meat and tearing silk both partake of the guilt. Since the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was brought east, the conditions for the three kinds of pure meat have ceased. Embracing these supreme instructions, high integrity has reached ever farther. Life's fleeting span may be exhausted, yet one never tires of lifelong vegetarianism. Autumn birds and summer eggs are regarded like floating clouds; land flora and marine delicacies are treated as rotting rats. Yet over cocoon garments and silk wadding one has never harbored doubts! This is merely because reflection is exhausted by literal words, and thought is deluded regarding the expansive intent. May discerning and deeply faithful gentlemen look into this principle. Once this principle is realized, deluded actions can be reversed, cutting off the causes of silk and meat and securing the practice of vegetables and hemp. Then all classes of sentient beings will be close to deliverance.
26.7
Letter to He Yin
26.8
By Zhou Yong of the Liang
26.9
During the Putong era, He Yin was extravagant in his dining; his meals always covered a square zhang. Later, he gradually wished to go even further, and had his disciples deliberate on it. The scholar Zhong Wan said: 'When maggots approach dried meat, they hasten their bending and extending; when crabs are about to be steamed, their restless thrashing is ever more severe. When a benevolent person turns his mind to this, he deeply harbors sorrow and grief. Moreover, plants that neither wither nor bloom are inferior even to firewood and wild grass; lacking fragrance and stench, how can they compare to rubble?'
26.10
Zhou Yong of Runan sent a letter to He Yin, saying: 'Why have you, venerable sir, not yet reached the furthest heights of detachment? Is your confusion due to not being entirely vegetarian? Chopping and dismembering creatures to fill cauldrons and meat platters, and the rise of nets and snares are recorded in ancient texts; their origin is indeed remote, and who would dare interfere to criticize it? Observing the culinary fare established by the sages, they also created regulations and moderation for it. This was because eating raw meat and drinking blood began together with humanity; if one gave free rein to it without moderation, there would be no boundary. How could one who is good at being a gentleman not cherish forgiving others as his inner disposition? This is so each respects boundaries without encroaching on or crushing the other. Moreover, of the great transformations, none exceeds life and death; of what life values, nothing exceeds existence. Existence is of utmost urgency to them, while fine flavors can be postponed for us. Yet day and night throughout one's whole life, one relies on them to prolong one's years. They suffer bitter cruelty and cannot voice their own grievance; our karmic burden will be long-lasting—alas, how terrifying! Furthermore, tiny and fragile eggs are delicate, thin, and easily pitied; those panting, frail fawns looking around as they walk ought to be commiserated. Seeing them drinking, pecking, flying, and diving makes one feel pity and grief; how much more so could one have the heart to swat and slaughter them, and furthermore indulge in cruelty by devouring and chewing them? Even to the point of herds grazing in the wild or confined in deep pens, having their flesh measured and coats inspected to await dismemberment and skinning, cast aside like dirt on the ground—all consider this an ordinary principle, which is truly lamentable. Does this involve only a single path? If one were to say the doctrine of the three times is false, that would indeed be fortunate and truly pleasant. But if this Way is true, and the assumption of physical form does not cease, coming and going in life and death is a constant affair. Mixed retributions are like one's home, while rebirths as humans and gods are like being a guest; the days of a passing guest are few, while the days at home are many. The faithful karma we cultivate is not yet enough to grant permanent exemption, and the sorrow of a broken heart will soon be our own experience. Although you, venerable sir, do not personally harm creatures with blood and breath, when it comes to morning ducks and diving carp, you cannot avoid procuring them from butcher shops. When property has once passed through the hands of a thief, it is still shunned by an upright gentleman; when a living creature has once encountered the butcher's knife, how could a compassionate heart endure it? Though the Zouyu is starving, it does not eat grass that has not died of itself; hearing of its standard, how could it not make one deeply ashamed?' He Yin received the letter and accepted it; he subsequently abstained from meaty flavors and wrote commentaries on the Śata-śāstra and Dvādaśanikāya-śāstra, which circulated among monks and laypeople.
26.11
Edict Banning Killing and Abolishing Animal Sacrifices at the Ancestral Temples (with Petitions)
26.12
By Emperor Wu of the Liang
26.13
In the twelfth year of his reign over the realm, Emperor Gaozu Wu of the Liang issued an edict abolishing animal sacrifices at the ancestral temples, practicing the Buddhist precepts, eating vegetarian food, and cutting off desires. The śramaṇa Sengyou of Upper Dinglin Temple, the Longhua Village Chief Bai Chaodu, and others submitted a memorial saying: 'The capital commandery is a field of merit, yet families consuming fresh meat still set out fish traps and nets, and travelers riding side by side still race falcons and hounds. This is not the way to look up to and match the imperial court's generous and pervasive purpose. We request that in the two territories of Danyang and Langya, hunting and netting on both water and land be prohibited.' By imperial decree, this was submitted to the Department of State Affairs for detailed deliberation. The Gentleman of Discussion Jiang Kuang considered: 'The Way of the sages takes the mind of the hundred clans as its mind; the transformation wrought by the benevolent covers beings through personal practice. The imperial virtue's love for life harmonizes with above and below; progressing day by day and advancing month by month, it will naturally have pity on mundane customs. To suppress and ban them in a single morning would, it is feared, alarm the ignorant people. Furthermore, those who hunt in the mountains are by habit able to traverse difficult paths, and those who fish in the waters do not fear winds and waves. If Jiangning is banned, they will immediately reach Niuzhu; if Yanling does not permit it, they will go straight to Yangxian. Although the locations where living creatures are taken differ, the number of lives killed is the same. This would merely be an empty regulation of preservation, offering no benefit to the method of preserving life.' Concurrently, the Senior Clerk of the Secretariat Wang Shu considered: 'The capital is grand and dignified, watched by the four quarters. When the people are gradually touched by transformation, it will surely extend to the myriad states. Now in bitter cold and sweltering rain, the people still bear no resentment; how much more so when discarding the mundane to enter the true brings joy! We maintain that prohibiting it is correct.' The Assistant Director of the Left Xie Jiqing said: 'The propriety of non-killing is truly as Wang Shu has deliberated. However, when sages establish teachings, they also adapt to mundane customs. Judging from the circumstances, I fear it is not suitable to ban it only in part. If these two commanderies alone have this prohibition, it would resemble non-Buddhist schools who claim that the precept of non-killing has territorial limits. Following the expediency of the times, I respectfully agree with the deliberation of Gentleman of Discussion Jiang Kuang.' Minister Dan of the Department of State Affairs, Vice Director Ang, Director Ying, and those below all agreed with Kuang's deliberation. The Emperor dispatched Zhou She to challenge Kuang, saying: 'The Book of Rites states: "The gentleman stays far from the kitchen; where there is blood and breath, he does not personally slaughter them; seeing them alive, he cannot bear their death; hearing their cries, he does not eat their meat." These all arise from benevolence in one's immediate presence, not concerning distant reach. In the ritual of the three drives, those who face me are spared, and those who turn their backs to me are shot.' Thereupon, relying on Wang Shu's deliberation, it was finally prohibited.
26.14
The Emperor also decreed that imperial physicians must not compound medicines using living creatures, and the official weavers' brocades were all prohibited from depicting the forms of immortals, birds, and beasts, considering that using them for undergarments and cutting them would violate benevolence and empathy. Eventually, he prayed and announced to Heaven, Earth, and the Ancestral Temples, extending the principle of abolishing killing to all conscious creatures. In the suburban altars and ancestral temples, dough was used for sacrificial beasts, and vegetarian food was served when feasting envoys from the myriad states, eliminating living creatures; yet this was not done for the various sacrifices to mountains and rivers. Thereupon, he decreed to the officials: 'Recently, considering that spirits truly love the people and do not hold the ignorant accountable, what is valued is sincerity, not blood and fat. Whenever there are calamities of flood or drought, the blame should be placed on the ruler above, without using sacrificial cattle; one merely informs them and that is all. Yet the common people make petitions with flattering irreverence, and minor deities of mountains and rivers are hard to expect to be upright. If clear weather or rain goes awry, it may cause popular resentment; the obstinate habits of foolish men are hard to change with reason. From now on, petitions and thank-offerings may follow what is used in mundane custom. The ruler taking the blame upon himself shall continue as before.'
26.15
The former minister says: 'The way of the spirits is obscure, and approaches to them are not uniform. Some favor sacrifices of blood and raw meat, while others relish the sincerity of simple aquatic weeds. Sages establish teachings according to the times, valuing what is good; if sincerity is without deceit, what would not reach them? If sacrificial feasts are in principle nonexistent, then the customs of the Four Dynasties were mistaken. If divine spirits truly exist, then the Way of the three times is vast. Speaking of their nonexistence, one does not need the purity of whole sacrificial beasts; resting upon their existence, one ought to maintain the benevolence of abolishing killing. King Wen of Zhou's summer sacrifice of simple herbs was already of ancient origin; if there is illustrious virtue, will the spirits spit it out? Yet using dough for sacrificial beasts is not yet understood in principle; compared with the prohibition on patterned brocades, is this not contradictory?'
26.16
Admonition against Killing by Yan Zhitui, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness of the Qi
26.17
The gentleman of the Confucian school stays far from the kitchen; seeing them alive, he cannot bear their death; hearing their cries, he does not eat their meat. Gao Chai and Zheshang, without knowing the inner teachings [of Buddhism], were both able to refrain from killing. These are all the natural inclinations of benevolent people. Among conscious creatures, none does not cherish life; one must diligently practice the cessation of killing. The retributions and manifestations witnessed when those fond of killing approach death, and the calamities suffered by their descendants, are exceedingly numerous, and cannot all be recorded. Here, a few cases are merely presented at the end.
26.18
During the Liang dynasty, there was a man who constantly washed his hair with egg whites, claiming it made his hair glossy. Every time he washed, he would break twenty to thirty eggs. As he lay dying, he heard only the chirping of several thousand chicks from within his hair.
26.19
A certain Liu of Jiangling made a living selling eels. Later, his wife gave birth to a child whose head was entirely that of an eel, and only from the neck down was it human.
26.20
When Wang Ke was governor of Yongjia Commandery, someone presented him with a sheep. He gathered guests intending to hold a banquet. The sheep's rope came untied, and it rushed to a certain guest, first kneeling and bowing twice, and then ducked into his robe. This guest never spoke of it, nor did he plead to save it. Shortly afterward, the sheep was slaughtered and roasted, and the first serving was brought to this guest. As soon as a piece of meat entered his mouth, it sank under his skin and traveled throughout his body. In agonizing pain, he wailed and shrieked, and only then recounted the incident. He subsequently bleated like a sheep and died.
26.21
During the Liang dynasty, a man was serving as a county magistrate. When he underwent the rebellion of Liu Jinggong, the county offices were burned down, so he lodged in a Buddhist monastery. The local people brought sheep and wine as gifts. The magistrate tied the sheep to the temple flagpole, removed the images, and arranged couches and seats in the hall. While he was receiving guests and before the slaughter took place, the sheep untied itself, came directly up the steps, and bowed. The magistrate laughed heartily and ordered his attendants to butcher it. Having eaten his fill and become intoxicated with wine, he went to sleep under the eaves. Upon awakening, he immediately felt itching throughout his body; from scratching and scratching, sores and rashes broke out, and thus he fell ill. He died more than ten years later.
26.22
Yang Sida served as governor of Xiyang Commandery. During the Hou Jing rebellion, there was also a drought and famine; starving people stole wheat from the fields. Sida sent a retainer to stand guard. Whenever a thief was caught, he severed their wrists, mutilating over ten people in all. Later, this retainer fathered a boy who was born naturally without hands.
26.23
In the state of Qi, there was a court attendant (Fengchaoqing) whose family was exceedingly extravagant; unless he slaughtered an ox with his own hands, he found no pleasure in eating it. When he was around thirty years of age, he fell gravely ill, vividly seeing oxen coming at him. His entire body felt as though pierced by knives, and he died wailing and shrieking.
26.24
Gao Wei of Jiangling followed his father to Qi for several years, going into the marshes of Youzhou to catch fish. Later he fell ill, constantly seeing schools of fish biting him, and died.
26.25
Text on Abstaining from Alcohol and Meat
26.26
Emperor Gaozu of the Liang
26.27
The disciple Xiao Yan respectfully addresses the venerable monks and nuns of great virtue, the doctrinal monks and nuns, and the three administrators of all monasteries: Rectifying the Buddha-Dharma is the responsibility of those in dark robes; it is indeed not the pressing concern of this white-robed disciple. Yet the sūtras also state that the Buddha-Dharma is entrusted to human kings. Therefore, this disciple cannot remain silent. Today, may all monks and nuns open your minds to listen and accept this, not harboring doubts, obstinacy, or inner resentment and dissent.
26.28
What distinguishes those who leave the household from non-Buddhists is precisely that they believe in causes, believe in effects, believe in the sūtras, and clearly believe that what the sūtras state was spoken by the Buddha: 'Those who commit the ten unwholesome deeds receive evil retribution; those who practice the ten wholesome deeds receive good retribution.' This is the general drift of the scriptural teachings. That being so, if one says that those who have left the household may still be fond of drinking wine and eating fish and meat, their conduct is identical to that of non-Buddhists—and indeed falls short of them. Why is it identical to non-Buddhists? Non-Buddhists cling to the views of annihilationism and eternalism, holding that there are no causes, no effects, no giving, and no retribution. Now, the Buddha's disciples relish wine and indulge in meat, neither fearing the causes of sin nor fearing the effects of suffering; this is simply not believing in causes and not believing in effects. How is this any different from holding that there is neither giving nor retribution? In this matter their view is identical to non-Buddhists. Yet there are ways in which they fall short of non-Buddhists: what are these non-Buddhists? Each believes in their own teacher. What the teacher says is right, the disciple says is right; what the teacher says is wrong, the disciple says is wrong. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Kāśyapa, today I prohibit all disciples from eating any meat whatsoever.' Yet nowadays those who have left the household still eat meat themselves. The monastic codes say: 'Drinking alcohol incurs a prāyaścittika.' Yet they still drink alcohol themselves without any hesitation or scruple. In this violation of their teacher's instructions, they first fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.29
Furthermore, although non-Buddhists are depraved and observe vows of behaving like oxen or dogs, once they have taken their vows they will never violate them. Nowadays, those who have left the household, after taking their precepts, violate them lightly. This is the second way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.30
Furthermore, although non-Buddhists scorch their bodies with the five fires, throw themselves into abysses, jump into fire, and exhaust all kinds of ascetic practices, they do not necessarily devour sentient beings. Nowadays, those who have left the household devour fish and meat. This is the third way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.31
Furthermore, when non-Buddhists practice their disparate doctrines, although these do not accord with reason, each follows his teacher's teachings without concealment. Nowadays, when those who have left the household eat fish and meat, they mingle freely among their intimates, but hide and evade those who are distant. In their conduct, this is the fourth way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.32
Furthermore, the non-Buddhists each venerate what their own school adheres to and each value their own doctrine, even shouting out at the top of their voices, 'Nothing is as true as our way,' having no fear or dread before people of other persuasions. Nowadays, those who have left the household, whether advanced in age or traditionally respected as leaders, find it extremely difficult and troubled to eat fish and meat: they either evade disciples, or evade fellow students, or evade the laity, or evade the monastery officers. Harboring depraved intentions, they twist about and conceal themselves, and only then manage to eat it once. In their conduct, this is the fifth way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.33
Furthermore, non-Buddhists act directly according to their inclinations; they can foster evil only among their own disciples and followers, but cannot foster evil among other groups. Nowadays, when those who have left the household eat fish and meat, it is seen and heard by lay disciples. Harboring no shame or remorse within, they instead fabricate depraved theories, saying: 'The Buddha's teachings originally aimed at distant causes; in the present day, it is not yet completely prohibited. Buying meat with money is not killing it oneself, so this is not blameworthy.' The foolish laity, hearing such monks speak, regard it as true words; they then believe and accept it, practice unwholesomeness themselves, and proliferate various evils. This is the sixth way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.34
Furthermore, although non-Buddhists explain non-Dharma as Dharma and Dharma as non-Dharma, each believes in their scriptures and would die rather than transgress them. Nowadays, those who have left the household devour fish and meat, perhaps saying that meat not killed by oneself may still be eaten, and that buying meat with money is likewise not blameworthy. To speak like this is not so. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'All meat must be abstained from, even that of animals that die naturally.' Even those that die naturally are prohibited, how much more so those that do not die naturally! The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: 'Killing sentient beings for profit and snaring various meats with wealth—both these actions are unwholesome, and at death one falls into the Screaming Hell.' What does it mean to snare meat with wealth? Setting traps on land and casting nets in water—this is snaring meat with nets. Buying meat with money from butchers among people—this is snaring meat with wealth. If this person were not to snare meat with wealth, would those who practice evil discipline and capture and harm sentient beings do so purely to feed their own mouths, or would they intend it for other purposes? If they intend it for other purposes, how can the meat-eater have no share in the killing? How can one say, 'I do not kill living beings'? This clearly contradicts the sūtra text. This is the seventh way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.35
Furthermore, non-Buddhists unite in harmony with those who share their teachings, and severely discipline those who deviate from them; their orders are carried out and their prohibitions observed, without anyone failing to comply. Nowadays, some who have left the household become teachers or monastery officers, yet they breach the prohibition against alcohol themselves and devour fish and meat, so that they can no longer administer instructions and precepts. As soon as they try to speak, others mock them, saying, 'The teacher acted likewise just now; the monastery officers act likewise.' Harboring internal heat, they silently bow their heads, blushing and sweating, unable to speak any further. Having flaws in themselves, they cannot subdue others, and simply let matters rest as they are. Therefore, those in the monastery become disobedient, and those receiving instruction become lax. This is the eighth way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.36
Furthermore, when non-Buddhists receive gifts from others, it corresponds to their own practices: one observing the crow vows receives gifts for the crow vows; one observing the deer vows receives gifts for the deer vows. One observing the crow vows never conceals his vows to receive gifts for the deer vows, and one observing the deer vows never conceals his vows to receive gifts for the crow vows. Nowadays, those who have left the household say, 'I am capable of diligence; I am capable of asceticism,' temporarily concealing their true nature to deceive the laity. When going out, they drink wine, opening the gates of myriad evils; when returning inside, they devour meat, accumulating the root of myriad sufferings. This is the ninth way they fall short of non-Buddhists.
26.37
Furthermore, although non-Buddhists are deluded, they have no such matters. What is alcohol? It is the foul odor of water and grain losing its correct nature to form this abnormal vapor. Because of the conditions of sinful karma, sentient beings experience this evil contact. This is not the true, correct path, nor is it the supreme flavor of amṛta. Why do monks and nuns who have left the household still indulge in such craving? Monks and nuns confer the five precepts on the laity, instructing them not to drink alcohol and not to lie; why do they turn around and drink alcohol themselves, breaking their vows? In the precepts for the seven assemblies, the eight precepts of fasting, the five classes, the seven categories, the long and short vinaya regulations—in which section is such a passage to be found? For the rest of the monks it is barely tolerable, but for those who study the Vinaya it is even more inappropriate. It opens the gate of heedlessness and gathers the roots of all evils. If a layperson relishes this mad drug, one who has left the household ought to admonish and stop them, saying: 'So-and-so, you took the five precepts from me; you should not act like this.' If they have not taken the precepts, one should also say: 'Dānapati, alcohol is the root of evil; alcohol is a māra's deed. Dānapati, today you had better not drink.' How could one who has left the household drink it themselves? In the Nirarbuda hell, bodies are like lumps of meat, without consciousness or awareness: who are these people? They are all alcohol-drinking monks and nuns who have left the household. How can one not deeply believe in the scriptural teachings, discarding the true Dharma oneself to walk a depraved path, nurturing the roots of all evils and creating the sufferings of hell? When behaving like this, how can one not feel ashamed inside? One still wears the Tathāgata's robes, receives the faithful gifts of others, and resides in stūpas and monasteries facing the venerable images with reverent gaze. If one drinks wine and eats meat and commits such acts, those who have left the household fall short of those who remain at home. Why is this so? Although householders drink wine and eat meat, they incur no offense of violating precepts. In this first way, they fall short of householders.
26.38
Although householders drink wine and eat meat, each has their own dwelling, and they never thereby offend the venerable images. In this second way, they fall short of householders. Although householders drink wine and eat meat, they never vomit within the monastery buildings. In this third way, they fall short of householders.
26.39
Although householders drink wine and eat meat, there is no criticism or suspicion against them. If one who has left the household drinks wine and eats meat, it causes people to despise and slight the Buddha-Dharma. In this fourth way, they fall short of householders.
26.40
Although householders drink wine and eat meat, they each propitiate the spirits of their gates, pathways, wells, and stoves. If one who has left the household drinks wine and eats meat, foul vapors steam forth, so that all wholesome deities depart far away, and all host of māras rejoice. In this fifth way, they fall short of householders.
26.41
Although householders drink wine and eat meat, they ruin their own wealth and property, not the property of others. When one who has left the household drinks wine and eats meat, they ruin wholesome dharmas for themselves and ruin fields of merit for others. Thus, in this sixth way, they fall short of householders.
26.42
Although householders drink wine and eat meat, it is all procured by their own efforts. If one who has left the household drinks wine and eats meat, it is entirely the gifts of faithful others. Thus, in this seventh way, they fall short of householders.
26.43
Although householders drink wine and eat meat, it is an ordinary sinful karmic act, nothing out of the ordinary. If one who has left the household drinks wine and eats meat, all māras and non-Buddhists obtain their advantage. Thus, in this eighth way, they fall short of householders.
26.44
Although householders drink wine and eat meat like this, they still do not lose their worldly livelihoods unless they become grossly addicted and muddled; in that case they cannot maintain them. But if one who has left the household drinks wine and eats meat, whether in large or small amounts, they sever the seed of Buddhahood. Thus, in this ninth way, they fall short of householders. The reasons why they fall short of non-Buddhists and fall short of householders have been briefly set forth, nine items each. In discussing the faults of desire, the categories are manifold; they can be inferred by analogy, so I shall not explain them in full.
26.45
Today, virtuous monks and nuns, monks and nuns who study doctrine, and temple administrators: you ought to exercise caution and purify your assemblies. If any are indolent and do not comply with the Buddha's teachings, they are still registered commoners of the Liang state, and this disciple currently has the power to punish and regulate them. If they still do not abide by the Buddhadharma, the sangha administrators should interrogate them according to the law. In recent years in the capital, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra has been lectured on continuously, the wheel of Dharma turning without interruption, with audiences frequently numbering in the thousands. Today, I once again order Dharma Master Fayun to lecture to the monks and nuns on a small portion of the Chapter on the Four Marks. The monks and nuns frequently listen to the Nirvāṇa-sūtra: have they heard this teaching, or have they not heard it? If they have already heard it, they should not violate it; if they have not yet heard it, they should now bear it in mind. In the Buddhist sūtras, the definitive teaching cuts off all meat, to the extent that even meat from animals that died naturally is not permitted to be eaten, how much less that which did not die naturally! The monks and nuns left home and are called disciples of the Buddha; why do they not follow their teacher's instructions today? The sūtra states: 'Those who eat meat sever the seed of great compassion.' What is meant by 'severing the seed of great compassion'? In general, one of great compassion causes all sentient beings equally to attain peace and happiness. If one eats meat, all sentient beings become one's adversaries and are equally devoid of peace and happiness. If one eats meat, one is far removed from the dharma of the śrāvakas. If one eats meat, one is far removed from the dharma of the pratyekabuddhas. If one eats meat, one is far removed from the dharma of the bodhisattvas. If one eats meat, one is far removed from the bodhisattva path. If one eats meat, one is far removed from the fruition of buddhahood. If one eats meat, one is far removed from great nirvāṇa. If one eats meat, it obstructs birth in the six desire heavens, how much more so the fruit of nirvāṇa! If one eats meat, it obstructs the dharma of the four dhyānas. If one eats meat, it obstructs the dharma of the four formless realms. If one eats meat, it obstructs the dharma of the precepts. If one eats meat, it obstructs the dharma of concentration. If one eats meat, it obstructs the dharma of wisdom. If one eats meat, it obstructs the faculty of faith. If one eats meat, it obstructs the faculty of diligence. If one eats meat, it obstructs the faculty of mindfulness. If one eats meat, it obstructs the faculty of concentration. If one eats meat, it obstructs the faculty of wisdom. To state the essentials: it obstructs the thirty-seven factors of awakening. If one eats meat, it obstructs the four noble truths. If one eats meat, it obstructs the twelve links of dependent origination. If one eats meat, it obstructs the six pāramitās. If one eats meat, it obstructs the four great vows. If one eats meat, it obstructs the four means of embracing. If one eats meat, it obstructs the four immeasurable minds. If one eats meat, it obstructs the four unhindered knowledges. If one eats meat, it obstructs the three samādhis. If one eats meat, it obstructs the eight liberations. If one eats meat, it obstructs the nine successive absorptions. If one eats meat, it obstructs the six supernormal powers. If one eats meat, it obstructs the hundred and eight samādhis. If one eats meat, it obstructs all samādhis. If one eats meat, it obstructs the oceanic seal samādhi (sāgara-mudrā-samādhi). If one eats meat, it obstructs the śūraṅgama samādhi. If one eats meat, it obstructs the vajra samādhi. If one eats meat, it obstructs the five eyes. If one eats meat, it obstructs the ten powers. If one eats meat, it obstructs the four fearlessnesses. If one eats meat, it obstructs the eighteen unshared dharmas. If one eats meat, it obstructs the knowledge of all modes (sarvākārajñatā). If one eats meat, it obstructs unexcelled bodhi. Why is this? If one eats meat, it obstructs the bodhicitta, and there is no bodhisattva dharma. Because of eating meat, one is obstructed from attaining the first bhūmi; because of eating meat, one is obstructed from attaining the second bhūmi, and so forth up to being obstructed from attaining the tenth bhūmi. Because there is no bodhisattva dharma, there are no four immeasurable minds; because there are no four immeasurable minds, there is no great compassion and great empathy. Through this causal condition, the lineage of the Buddha's sons is not continued. Therefore the sūtra says: 'Those who eat meat sever the seed of great compassion.' Although those who have left home may not yet be able to practice great compassion and great empathy, fully realize the bodhisattva practice, and accomplish unexcelled bodhi, why can they not endure this foul and rank [stench] to cultivate the paths of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha? Kites and crows relish rats; centipedes find small snakes sweet: inferring from this, how could one relish or be attached to it? Even jackals, dogs, and wild foxes all know to relish meat. Humans possess the greatest understanding, surpassing all living creatures; yet intimately with these [beasts] they relish the same foul and rank [matter]. Not only do they constantly harbor killing intent and sever the seed of great compassion, but all who eat meat are inherently contemptible! When the virtuous monks and those who understand the doctrine expound the Nirvāṇa-sūtra, how could they not earnestly emphasize this sentence, causing the listeners to attain awakening and understanding in their minds? Furthermore, there is a foolish kind of person who says, 'I only eat fish; I truly do not eat meat.' They should also be instructed that in this regard there is no difference between water and land: all living beings are equally called 'meat.' How could those who listen to the lectures not carefully and truly accept, uphold, and practice according to what is taught? All that pertains to eating meat has been explained above; these, however, are distant matters and not yet immediate and urgent. Virtuous monks and nuns, you should know that feeding on living beings is the conduct of māras; feeding on living beings is the seed of hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of terror; feeding on living beings is the cause of cutting off life; feeding on living beings is the cause of being burned oneself; feeding on living beings is the cause of being boiled oneself; feeding on living beings is the cause of being roasted oneself; feeding on living beings is the cause of being broiled oneself; feeding on living beings is the cause of being cut oneself; feeding on living beings is the cause of being flayed oneself; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's head severed; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's hands severed; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's feet severed; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's belly ripped open; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's back split open; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's entrails scooped out; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's marrow crushed; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's eyes gouged out; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's nose cut off; feeding on living beings is the cause of having one's ears lopped off; feeding on living beings is the cause of poverty; feeding on living beings is the cause of low birth; feeding on living beings is the cause of freezing and starvation; feeding on living beings is the cause of ugliness; feeding on living beings is the cause of deafness; feeding on living beings is the cause of blindness; feeding on living beings is the cause of dumbness; feeding on living beings is the cause of muteness; feeding on living beings is the cause of lameness; feeding on living beings is the cause of crippledness; feeding on living beings is the cause of sores; feeding on living beings is the cause of ulcers; feeding on living beings is the cause of scabies; feeding on living beings is the cause of ringworm; feeding on living beings is the cause of tumors; feeding on living beings is the cause of goiters; feeding on living beings is the cause of favus; feeding on living beings is the cause of blemishes; feeding on living beings is the cause of carbuncles; feeding on living beings is the cause of furuncles; feeding on living beings is the cause of hemorrhoids; feeding on living beings is the cause of cellulitis; feeding on living beings is the cause of fistulas; feeding on living beings is the cause of leprosy; feeding on living beings is the cause of attracting fleas; feeding on living beings is the cause of attracting lice; feeding on living beings is the cause of attracting mosquitoes; feeding on living beings is the cause of attracting horseflies; feeding on living beings is the cause of encountering venomous insects; feeding on living beings is the cause of encountering ferocious beasts; feeding on living beings is the cause of emaciating illness; feeding on living beings is the cause of chills and fever; feeding on living beings is the cause of headaches; feeding on living beings is the cause of heartaches; feeding on living beings is the cause of abdominal pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of chest pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of back pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of hand pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of foot pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of marrow pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of intestinal pain; feeding on living beings is the cause of cramped tendons; feeding on living beings is the cause of gastroptosis; feeding on living beings is the cause of severed pulses; feeding on living beings is the cause of hemorrhages; feeding on living beings is the cause of throat obstruction; feeding on living beings is the cause of sore throats; feeding on living beings is the cause of wind disorders; feeding on living beings is the cause of water disorders; feeding on living beings is the cause of disharmony among the four elements; feeding on living beings is the cause of disharmony among the five zang organs; feeding on living beings is the cause of disharmony among the six fu organs; feeding on living beings is the cause of epilepsy; feeding on living beings is the cause of madness; feeding on living beings is even the cause of all the four hundred and four ailments; feeding on living beings is the cause of heat; feeding on living beings is the cause of vexation; feeding on living beings is the cause of being crushed; feeding on living beings is the cause of encountering floods; feeding on living beings is the cause of encountering fires; feeding on living beings is the cause of encountering storms; feeding on living beings is the cause of suffering theft; feeding on living beings is the cause of suffering robbery; feeding on living beings is the cause of suffering banditry; feeding on living beings is the cause of being whipped; feeding on living beings is the cause of being caned; feeding on living beings is the cause of being flogged; feeding on living beings is the cause of being beaten; feeding on living beings is the cause of being reviled; feeding on living beings is the cause of being humiliated; feeding on living beings is the cause of being chained; feeding on living beings is the cause of being bound; feeding on living beings is the cause of being confined; feeding on living beings is the cause of being imprisoned; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of birth; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of old age; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of sickness; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of death; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of encountering what is hated; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of parting from what is loved; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of not getting what one seeks; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of the five clinging-aggregates; feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of conditioned existence (saṃskāra-duḥkhatā); feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of change (vipariṇāma-duḥkhatā); feeding on living beings is the cause of the suffering of suffering (duḥkha-duḥkhatā); feeding on living beings is the cause of the Samjñā Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Kālasūtra Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Saṃghāta Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Raurava Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Mahāraurava Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Tapana Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Pratāpana Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the Avīci Hell; feeding on living beings is the cause of the eight cold and eight hot hells, and even the cause of the eighty-four thousand subsidiary hells, and even the cause of inexpressibly inexpressible subsidiary hells; feeding on living beings is even the cause of [becoming] all hungry ghosts; feeding on living beings is even the cause of [becoming] all beasts. You should know that hungry ghosts have immeasurable suffering; you should know that beasts have immeasurable suffering. Beasts are born for a moment and die for a moment, being harmed by others; when alive they experience immeasurable terror, and when dying they experience immeasurable terror. All these are karmic conditions of killing resulting in such retribution. If one wished to enumerate in full the retributions of killing, unfolding endlessly, the plants and trees of the great earth could not contain them. Although what was stated above follows many paths, to state the essentials: they are the same fruition of suffering, which contains its own lighter and heavier degrees. The reason various fruits of suffering are incurred today is entirely due to the karma of killing and tormenting sentient beings. I have merely cited one corner and spoken roughly of a small fraction.
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- 廣弘明集 — Classical Chinese