法苑珠林 88.134

88.134

又智度論云。若人欲求最大善利。應當持戒。戒如大地。一切萬物有形之類。皆依地住。戒亦如是。一切善法皆依戒住。若世間人。下品持戒得生人中。中品持戒生於天上。乃至上品清淨持戒。得至佛道。若破戒者。墮三惡道。是故佛言。持戒之人無事不得。破戒之人一切皆失。譬如有人。厭患貧窮。供養諸天。滿十二年。求索富貴。天愍此人。自現其身。而問之曰。汝求何等。貧人答言。我求富貴。欲令心中所願皆得。天與一器。名曰德瓶。而語之言。所須之物從此瓶出。其人得已應意所欲無所不得。得如意已。具作好舍象馬車乘。七寶具足。供給賓客。事事無乏。客問之言。汝先貧窮。今日何由得如此富。彼人答言。我得天瓶。瓶能出此種種眾物。故富如是。客語之言。出瓶見示。并所出物。彼人聞已。即為出瓶。瓶中引出種種眾物。其人憍逸立瓶上舞。瓶即破壞。一切眾物一時失滅。持戒之人亦復如是。若能持戒。種種妙樂無願不得。若人破戒憍逸自恣。亦如彼人破瓶失利也。

Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: If a person wishes to seek the greatest good benefit, he ought to uphold the precepts. The precepts are like the great earth: all the myriad things and classes of physical forms exist relying on the earth. Precepts are also like this: all wholesome dharmas exist relying on the precepts. If a person of the world upholds the precepts of the lower grade, he is born among humans; if he upholds the precepts of the middle grade, he is born in heaven; and reaching up to purely upholding the precepts of the upper grade, he is able to attain the Buddha Path. If one breaks the precepts, one falls into the three evil paths. Therefore, the Buddha said, 'One who upholds the precepts fails in nothing; one who breaks the precepts loses everything.' For example, there was a man who, distressed by poverty, made offerings to devas for a full twelve years seeking wealth and honor. A deva, taking pity on this man, manifested his own body and asked him, 'What do you seek?' The poor man replied, 'I seek wealth and honor, desiring that all wishes in my mind be fulfilled.' The deva gave him a vessel named the Vase of Virtue and said to him, 'Whatever you need will come forth from this vase.' Having obtained it, everything was according to his desire and there was nothing he did not obtain. Having obtained all that he wished, he made fine houses, elephants, horses, and carriages, fully equipped with the seven treasures, and provided for guests, lacking nothing in any matter. A guest asked him, 'Formerly you were impoverished; by what means do you possess such wealth today?' That man replied, 'I obtained a heavenly vase; the vase can bring forth these various goods, hence my wealth is like this.' The guest said to him, 'Bring out the vase to show me, along with the goods it produces.' Having heard this, the man immediately brought out the vase, and from the vase brought forth various goods. The man, becoming arrogant and careless, stood upon the vase and danced; the vase immediately broke to pieces, and all the goods were lost and destroyed at once. One who upholds the precepts is also like this: if one can uphold the precepts, there is no wish for various wonderful pleasures that is not obtained; if a person breaks the precepts, becoming arrogant and unrestrained, he is also like that man who broke the vase and lost his gains."