法苑珠林 23

English (machine translation) 23

Language: English

23.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

23.2

Section 14: Shame and Remorse
Section 15: Encouragement and Guidance
Section 16: Preaching and Listening

23.3

Section on Shame and Remorse (This has two parts)

Now, wandering through the three times and revolving within the six destinies, if there is a single wisp of conscious spirit, there is nowhere it has not traversed. Since one's endowment of life is not fixed, there are the wise and the foolish; because the natures received are dissimilar, they do good or do evil. By doing good, there is shame (hrī) and remorse (apatrāpya); by doing evil, there is shamelessness and lack of remorse. Yet the ordinary person's way is to keep delusion dwelling within the heart. If one has not yet attained the path of treatment to eradicate it, one ought by right to spur oneself day and night to cultivate shame and remorse, praying silently to the void and begging pardon of the unseen and the manifest. In the past, through lack of wisdom, one did not recognize the ultimate truth, causing afflictions to gather densely and outflows of defilement to amass in profusion. One hopes to rely on a single good deed to eliminate myriad entanglements, clearing away the heavy darkness so that all becomes open and purely clear. Therefore, the Great Sage earnestly ordained that all clerics and laypeople should feel deep shame at being worthy of offerings (arhat) while receiving the title of a field of merit undeservedly, and should gaze upward with remorse as śramaṇas while falsely assuming the name of mendicants. Progressing, they lack the bodhisattva's ability to provide universal salvation; regressing, they are devoid of the śrāvaka's virtue of self-restraint. They disgrace their masters and fellow monks, and fail their benefactors (dānapati). They are not fit to tread upon the king's land, and have no means to repay the kindness of their parents. Their situation is like a broken pot; their meaning is identical to scorched seeds. They are also like a severed tāla tree: how could it grow again? Once split, a cracked stone can never be joined together again. Demons constantly sweep away their footprints, proclaiming, "These are evil people!" The Tathāgata decreed: "They are not my disciples; they cannot serve as a field of merit for the world. How could they be worthy of the prostrations of others? In the near term, it blocks [rebirth among] humans and gods; in the long run, it hinders the sacred path." How can such accumulations of transgression be fully stated? If this is so for those on the Way, how could those dwelling in the world be saved? Therefore, once a human body is lost, it usually takes multiple kalpas [to regain]; meeting the robes again is just like encountering one's original nature. Now, one should wash away the dust of the precepts with the water of shame and remorse, and wield the blade of confession to cut through the net of concealment. Gazing upward, feel remorse toward the former sages; looking inward, feel deep shame toward the virtues of later generations. Repent with utmost sincerity, penetrating fully to the limits of the future. Seeing all ordinary beings and sages, revere them equally with the thought that they are the Buddha; restrain one's own mind, viewing oneself as humble as the lowliest person. Toward all faults, do not give rise to a single thought of concealment; toward all good deeds, constantly generate the intention to cultivate and learn them. Setting forth this mind in brief: this is called shame and remorse.

23.6

Part 2: Citing Testimonies

23.7

As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "There are two pure dharmas that can rescue sentient beings: the first is shame (hrī), and the second is remorse (apatrāpya). Shame means not committing evil oneself; remorse means not instructing others to commit it. Shame means feeling inwardly ashamed; remorse means disclosing it to others. Shame means being ashamed before humans; remorse means being ashamed before the heavens. These are called shame and remorse. Because one has shame and remorse, one is able to revere parents, teachers, elders, and all clerics, laypeople, humans, and non-humans; one is then able to venerate the Three Jewels and eliminate all evil karma."

23.8

Furthermore, Kātyāyana's treatise says: "What is meant by shamelessness (āhrīkya)? The answer is: not feeling shame when one should feel shame, not avoiding what one should avoid, not being properly respectful, and not having proper associations. This is called shamelessness. What is meant by lack of remorse (anapatrāpya)? Not feeling disgraced when one should feel disgraced, not having fear when one should have fear; not fearing evil deeds is therefore called lack of remorse. Furthermore, improper association is called shamelessness, and seeing no fear in evil deeds is called lack of remorse. Reversing the above definitions is what is meant by shame and remorse."

23.9

Furthermore, the *New Vibhāṣā* states: Sentient beings in the world, seeing one who is shameless (*ahrīka*), call him reckless (*anapatrāpya*); seeing one who is reckless, they call him shameless. They go so far as to claim that these two have one and the same substance. Now, wishing to reveal the distinction between their natures and characteristics and enable those in doubt to gain a definitive understanding, we ask: What is the distinction between shamelessness and recklessness? Answer: Proceeding without fear before sovereign [superiors] is shamelessness; not seeing fear regarding various transgressions is recklessness. Again, proceeding without fear before sovereign [superiors] is shamelessness; not seeing fear regarding various transgressions is recklessness. Again, lack of respect is shamelessness; lack of dread is recklessness. Again, failing to loathe and deprecate afflictions is shamelessness; failing to loathe and deprecate evil conduct is recklessness. Again, committing evil without self-regard is shamelessness; committing evil without regard for others is recklessness. Again, committing evil without self-shame is shamelessness; committing evil without shame before others is recklessness. Again, committing evil without shame is shamelessness; committing evil while being arrogant and negligent is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions while alone without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before others without shame is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions before a few persons without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before a multitude without shame is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions before sentient beings of bad destinies without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before sentient beings of good destinies without shame is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions before foolish persons without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before wise persons without shame is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions before lowly persons without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before venerable persons without shame is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions before householders without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before renunciants without shame is recklessness. Again, committing transgressions before non-preceptors and non-teachers without shame is shamelessness; committing transgressions before preceptors and teachers without shame is recklessness. Again, not being ashamed before devas when committing evil is shamelessness; not feeling shame before humans when committing evil is recklessness. Again, inability to censure evil causes is shamelessness; inability to loathe and fear evil fruits is recklessness. Again, an outflowing of greed is shamelessness; an outflowing of ignorance is recklessness. Such are the distinctions between shamelessness and recklessness. These two dharmas are bound only to the desire realm and are solely unwholesome. They are universally associated with all unwholesome minds and mental factors, with the sole exception of their own intrinsic nature (reversing each of the preceding evil states constitutes shame (*hrī*) and modesty (*apatrāpya*)). Furthermore, the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* states: What are shamelessness and recklessness? It means having no sense of shame with regard to oneself or others, deliberately transgressing, and after having transgressed, being unable to achieve release in accordance with the Dharma, and delighting in various litigations, disputes, and quarrels. This is called shamelessness and recklessness. Furthermore, the *Sūtra of the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching* states: Shame is like an iron hook capable of restraining a person from non-dharmic deeds. Therefore, bhikṣus should constantly cultivate shame and modesty, never allowing them to cease even for a moment. If one is devoid of shame and modesty, one will lose all merit. A person who possesses modesty has wholesome dharmas; one who lacks modesty is no different from beasts.

23.10

Furthermore, verses in the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* state:

23.11

"A person of shame and modesty who has entered the Path, / Holding the bowl, blesses sentient beings. / How could he indulge in sensory dust / And drown in the five senses? / Donning armour and grasping knife and staff, / Yet seeing the enemy and retreating in flight— / A weak and cowardly person such as this / Is despised by the entire world. / A bhikṣu is a mendicant: / Having shorn his hair and donned the kāṣāya, / If he is mastered by the horse of the five senses, / He is ridiculed in just this way. / Moreover, like a wealthy and noble person / Who adorns his body with fine raiment, / Yet goes about begging for clothing and food, / Incurring ridicule from the crowd; / So a bhikṣu, having removed fine ornaments / And disfigured his form to collect his mind, / Yet further seeking sensual pleasures, / Is ridiculed in just this way. / Having already renounced the pleasures of the five desires, / Casting them aside and looking not back, / How could he wish to regain them? / Like a fool who eats his own vomit! / A person of such greed and desire / Knows not how to reflect on his original vow; / Nor does he discern the fine from the base, / Frantically intoxicated by thirst and craving. / Shame, modesty, and reverent respect for the Dharma— / All these he has already cast aside. / The virtuous and wise do not associate with him; / The foolish cherish and draw near to him. / Desires bring suffering while being sought; / Having obtained them, there is much fear; / When losing them, one harbours grief and affliction— / In none of them is there any place of joy. / The perils of desires being thus, / By what means should they be abandoned? / If one attains the joy of meritorious meditation (dhyāna), / One will not be deceived by them. / The attachment to sensual pleasures knows no satiation; / By what means can it be eradicated? / If one attains the contemplation of impurity, / This mind will naturally cease to be."

23.12

Furthermore, the *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra* states: If one breaks the precepts, has much desire, and performs evil dharmas, one is not truly a śramaṇa though calling oneself a śramaṇa—just like a jackal wearing a lion's skin, or a counterfeit jewel that is empty inside and devoid of substance. Furthermore, verses in the *Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra* state:

23.13

"Having already donned the dyed robe, / One ought to cultivate wholesome dharmas. / Such attire befits good tranquillity; / One should always contemplate self-taming and gentleness. / How could one, wearing this robe, / Raise the eyes and stare fiercely, / Furrow the brow and puff the cheeks, / Giving rise to the marks of anger? / Anger in a renunciant / Has no proper dwelling place. / Grudges and resentment are like the butcher's stocks; / Wrath is the very abode / Of terror and degradation, / The seed of ugliness, / The companion of harsh and evil speech, / The fierce fire that burns the forest of the mind, / The karma that points to the bad destinies, / The gate of contention and enmity, / The bed and cushion of evil repute, / The root of swift and violent evil deeds. / One ought to examine oneself: / The outward signs of renunciation— / Does the mind accord with these signs, / Or does it not accord? / The practice of a bhikṣu / Consists in begging from others to sustain oneself. / How could one consume gifts of faith / Yet give rise to heavy anger? / With another's food inside one's belly, / How could one give rise to anger, / Thereby causing the gifts of faith / To consume and destroy oneself? / This body is impure; / Its nine apertures constantly flow with foulness; / Stinking, filthy, and utterly detestable, / It is indeed a vessel of manifold sufferings. / This body is exceedingly base and wretched, / A gathering of carbuncles and sores; / If one is touched or struck, / Great pain and affliction arise. / The body is like an arrow's target: / Where there is a target, the arrow strikes; / Where there is a body, manifold sufferings afflict it; / If there is no body, there is no suffering. / Mosquitoes, gadflies, common flies, and poisonous insects / Are all capable of stinging and killing a person. / One ought to exert vigorous effort / To be far removed from this body."

23.14

Therefore we know: from all that has been recorded above, whether monastics or laypeople, one must constantly apply attention and maintain right mindfulness in the present. One must not, upon gaining a minor understanding of a little Dharma, immediately give rise to arrogance and fail to produce shame and modesty. Even persons of the four fruits cannot escape individual retribution, though they do not undergo total collective retribution. Hence the *Damamūka-nidāna-sūtra* states: Because Aṅgulimāla killed nine hundred and ninety-nine people, although he encountered the Buddha and became an arhat, while staying in his chamber the fire of hell came forth from his pores, causing him extreme suffering and pain. How much more so for ordinary worldlings who have not generated counteragents! In accordance with any single karma created, they will definitively fall into the three bad destinies. Yet a human body is difficult to obtain, and upon meeting evil causes and conditions it is easily lost. Because evil is abundant and good is scarce, within a single day sinful thoughts number hundreds of thousands, while wholesome thoughts are not even one.

23.15

Furthermore, the *Jingdu sanmei jing* states: Sins and merits accumulate and multiply, their counts being distinct and clear; later one must receive the retribution of sin and merit, not a single one being missed. In a single thought-moment one receives a single body: a wholesome thought receives a body among devas or humans; an evil thought receives a body in the three bad destinies. A hundred thoughts receive a hundred bodies; a thousand thoughts receive a thousand bodies. In one day and one night, planting the roots of birth and death, one will subsequently receive eight hundred and fifty million bodies of various kinds. In a hundred years, the plantings for future lives are exceedingly difficult to count. The spirit, following each kind, takes bodily form throughout the trichiliocosm; its bones, skin, and hair pervade the ground of the trichiliocosm without leaving any empty space. Furthermore, verses in the *Bodhisattva Garbhastha Sūtra* state:

23.16

"From countless kalpas past, / I have come and gone along the paths of birth and death, / Casting off bodies and again receiving bodies, / Never departing from the conditions of the womb. / Calculating what I have passed through, / Recording but one and omitting the rest: / Merely taking the form of a white dog, / My bones have piled up to equal a hundred million Sumerus. / If one were to plant sharp needles into the ground, / Not one would fail to strike my body. / How much more so for dogs of mixed colours, / Whose number is beyond measure! / Therefore I collect my mind, / Coveting not the path of heedlessness."

23.17

Furthermore, the *Tiwei jing* states: Suppose a person stands atop Mount Sumeru and lowers a fine thread, while another person below holds a needle to meet it; in between blows a violent gale of whirlwind, tossing the thread so that it is hard to enter the eye of the needle. The difficulty of obtaining a human body exceeds even this. Furthermore, in the *Bodhisattva Garbhastha Sūtra*, the World-Honoured One spoke in verse:

23.18

"A blind turtle encountering the yoke-hole in floating wood / May still at times happen upon it; / But once a human loses the life-faculty, / To regain it across a hundred million kalpas is yet more difficult. / The seawater is deep, broad, and vast, / Three hundred and thirty-six [thousand yojanas]; / If a single needle were cast into the sea, / Seeking it, it could still be found; / But once the life of a human body is lost, / Obtaining it is more difficult than this."

23.19

Furthermore, verses in the *Kalpanāmaṇḍitikā* state:

23.20

"To be free from the various difficulties is difficult; / To be born among humans is difficult. / Having already been freed from the various difficulties, / One ought to be constantly vigorous."

23.21

I once heard that there was a young boy who [learned that] the sūtras say that a blind turtle encountering the hole in a floating piece of wood is an exceedingly difficult matter. At that time, this young boy deliberately pierced a board to make a hole that could receive his head, threw it into a pond, entered the pond himself, and bobbed his head up and down wishing to enter the hole. Because the water drifted the board away, he could not encounter it. He immediately reflected to himself, giving rise to extreme revulsion: 'The human body is difficult to obtain. The Buddha used the great sea as an analogy: the hole in the floating wood is small, the blind turtle is sightless and emerges only once every hundred years, making it even more difficult to encounter. Now my pond is small, the hole in the board is large, and I also have two eyes and stick my head out a hundred times a day, yet I still cannot encounter it. How much less could that blind turtle encounter it!' Thereupon he spoke verses:

23.22

"The great ocean is exceedingly vast; / The hole in the floating wood is small; / Emerging once every hundred years, / To encounter it is exceedingly difficult. / Now the water in my pond is small; / The hole in the floating board is very large; / Sticking my head out repeatedly, / I still cannot encounter the hole in the wood. / A blind turtle meeting the floating wood— / Their encountering each other is exceedingly difficult; / Returning from bad destinies to a human body, / The difficulty of encountering it is likewise so. / Now that I have attained a human body, / I ought not to be heedless. / Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges / I have never before chanced to meet; / Today I am able to consult and receive / The words of the World-Honoured One of the Ten Powers. / The sublime Dharma taught by the Buddha / I surely must practice. / If one is able to cultivate and practice it well, / The salvation will be exceedingly great. / It cannot be gained through another's deeds; / Therefore I must be diligent myself. / If I fall into the eight places of difficulty, / How could I ever be free? / The karma of the world pursues me, / Causing me to plunge into the bad destinies. / I must now flee and escape, / To get out of the prison of the three realms of existence. / If I do not escape this prison, / How will I attain liberation? / The animal paths are varied and manifold, / Continuing through kalpas exceedingly long; / Hell and hungry ghosts / Are steeped in deep darkness and suffering. / If I do not diligently cultivate, / How will I be able to escape / The perilous, difficult bad destinies? / Today I have attained a human body; / If I do not bring suffering to an end, / I will not escape the prison of the three realms of existence. / I ought to diligently employ skillful means, / And surely escape the prison of the three realms of existence. / Now I seek to renounce the household life, / And must surely attain liberation."

23.23

Furthermore, verses in the *Sūtra on the Retribution of Karmic Actions* state:

23.24

"Flowing water is not constantly full; / A blazing fire does not burn for long; / The sun rises and sets in a moment; / The moon waxes only to wane again. / The noble, glorious, wealthy, and grand / Are more impermanent still than these."

23.25

Therefore we know: a human body is difficult to meet and easy to lose. Because it is easily lost, one must not give rise to attachment. One should know that the human body approaches death with every thought-moment, like pigs and sheep being led to the slaughterhouse. Hence the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* states: Contemplate this lifespan: it is constantly surrounded by immeasurable enemies, diminishing at every thought-moment without any increase, just like a torrential flood that cannot be halted, or like morning dew whose persistence does not last long, or like a prisoner headed for the execution ground, drawing nearer to death with every step. Furthermore, verses in the *Māyā Sūtra* state:

23.26

"Just as a caṇḍāla / Drives an ox to the slaughterhouse, / Drawing nearer to the place of death with every step, / Human life passes more swiftly still than this."

23.27

From below the Great Sage down, one's substance is not yet perfectly luminous. Even if one has partially realized the unproduced, one is still driven by the transmigration of the three characteristics. How much more so for the ordinary and foolish, who are separated by principle from the pure realm! Good and evil are mixed together, the bright and the dark not yet distinguished. How could they avoid the blemish of faults and the error of defiling attachment? Now hearing of the beauty of leaving household life and entering the Way, one must not immediately say there is no evil [among them]. Hearing of the faults of white-robed householders, one must not say they are devoid of any good. If internally one cultivates their practice, then it is like the beauty of leaving household life; if internally one goes against their faith, one has merely had one's hair shaved off in vain. Householders have various dependents and are harassed by public and private affairs, yet regarding what they require to sustain life, they still should not be stingy. A śramaṇa of pure conduct stands solitary and aloof, needing only the three robes and six requisites, or at most the hundred and one items to support the body; why must one accumulate what lies beyond these obstructive conditions? Both sūtras and vinaya fully rebuke this, as is made clear in the holy teachings. If one is begrudging with the Dharma-wealth and does not bestow it on the foolish and poor, the seed of wisdom will not form, and one will lose the holy womb. Down to minor offenses, one should still harbor great fear; one should always be modest, solemn, respectful, and reverent to both senior and junior, never being arrogant or contemptuous toward those before one. If one fully commits major offenses, broadly accumulates fields and houses, excessively amasses goods, and diligently engages in worldly affairs, this is definitely the utmost evil; what need is there to recount it? Now I shall briefly discuss those of middling and lower capacity: having slight learning and shallow understanding, they claim their wisdom surpasses others; giving rise to great arrogance, their demeanor is reckless and wild; looking down on everything, they presume to overshadow heaven and earth; sitting cross-legged before their teachers and seniors, they scold and shout at the side of their elders. The Way fundamentally takes harmony and respectful compliance as the Saṃgha; since mind and outward form are contrary, how can they constitute the Saṃgha jewel? Some devote themselves exclusively to reading external classics, indulging in the lute and chess, chanting poetry and literature, wasting days and months in vain. The Dharma medicine of the inner teachings is urgent for saving living beings; its text is profound, its principle deep, its diction elegant, its secret vast. Being able to understand a single phrase, one can expound immeasurable meanings. The scrolls of new and old sūtras and treatises number in the thousands, yet they have never inspected a single phrase of the text; toward non-urgent worldly books, they study diligently day and night. If they fear that white-robed [laypeople] will laugh at their ignorance for not having studied worldly texts, how will it be when worldly people ask them about the meaning of sūtras and they are unable to answer? Feeling shame at abiding within yet being unskilled in what is without is not yet worth being ashamed of; abiding within yet failing to understand what is within—this shame and humiliation is far greater! This is truly because the time approaches the end of the Dharma, and human lifespans become increasingly brief. Impermanence brushes past; in the morning one cannot plan for the evening. One fears that once entering the dark paths, it will be hard to emerge for many kalpas; meeting the Buddha-Dharma again, there will be no way to conceive or see it. Although there are sūtras and vinaya that permit learning one part of external [texts] in order to subdue non-Buddhists, this is spoken for those of the highest grade of sharp intelligence: first they are well-versed in the internal, and additionally they are made to know the external; the sharpness of their critical debate and the words they utter relate to the canonical authorities; having broadly investigated the internal and external, they are capable of being masters and teachers, and can, as the sūtras say, subdue non-Buddhists. Now, assessing oneself, one is incapable in dealing with affairs; one's spiritual consciousness is constantly clouded, foolish, obtuse, and dim. Being helpless to save oneself, how can one benefit other beings? Not discerning color and fragrance, how can one distinguish beans from wheat? One should wish in private to retreat, examine oneself, and engage in learning. Therefore the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'The Buddha said to the monks: "Those who have left household life should cultivate the study of wisdom and investigate the canonical scriptures. They must not open and read the scriptures of non-Buddhists, Lokāyata, and the like. Always dwelling in mountain marshes, empty and quiet chambers, cultivate dhyāna, pay homage, recite, sever the heterodox, and manifest the orthodox—this is your principle."'”

23.28

Furthermore, it is said in the Śuka Sūtra: 'Śuka, the son of a brāhmaṇa, addressed the Buddha, saying: "Can white-robed householders cultivate merit and roots of goodness superior to those who have left household life? How is this matter?" The Buddha said: "I do not give a definite answer to this. Some who have left household life do not cultivate roots of goodness, and thus are not as good as householders. Householders who are able to cultivate are superior to those who have left household life."'”

23.29

Furthermore, the Three Thousand Deportments says: 'The practices and tasks of those who have left household life are three: first, sitting in meditation; second, reciting sūtras and the Dharma; third, exhorting and converting the assembly in various matters. If one fully performs these three endeavors, this accords with the Dharma for those who have left household life. If one does not practice them, one is born in vain and dies in vain, having only the causes for receiving punishment.' Furthermore, the Sūtra of a Hundred Parables says: 'Formerly, a man needed the use of fire as well as cold water. He then took kindled fire, filled a washing vessel with water, and placed it upon the fire. Later, when he wished to take the fire, the fire was entirely extinguished; when he wished to take cold water, the water had become hot. Both the fire and the cold water were lost. Worldly people who enter the Buddha-Dharma and leave household life to seek the Way, having left household life, still think of wife and children and the pleasures of the five desires. Because of this, they lose their fire of merit and also lose their water of maintaining the precepts. A person who dwells on desires is also like this.'

23.30

Furthermore, in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Buddha said: 'After my nirvāṇa, there will be śrāvaka disciples who are foolish, break the precepts, and delight in stirring up quarrels. Abandoning the twelvefold scriptures, they read and recite various non-Buddhist treatises, literary odes, and personal compositions; they accept and store all kinds of impure things, claiming that the Buddha permitted this. Such people trade fine sandalwood for tiles and wood; exchange gold for brass; exchange silver for pewter; exchange fine silk for coarse felt; and exchange nectar for lethal poison.'

23.31

Furthermore, the Sūtra of the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching says: 'By day, diligently cultivate wholesome dharmas without letting time be lost. In the first and last watches of the night, do not neglect them either. In the middle watch of the night, recite the sūtras to rest and compose oneself. Do not let one's whole life pass in vain with nothing attained due to sleep. Practicing the Way according to this, one can attain the four fruits of a śramaṇa and even bodhi. Such a practitioner is worthy of being a model, a true and excellent puṇyakṣetra, able to consume the offerings given in faith.'

23.32

Furthermore, the Vibhāṣā-śāstra says: 'Just as when a person looks at the sun, their eyes are not clear and bright, so when one ponders and seeks non-Buddhist books and treatises, it causes the eye of wisdom to be impure. Just as when a person looks at the moon, their eyes are clear and bright, so when one ponders and seeks the sūtras and treatises of the Buddha-Dharma, it causes the eye of wisdom to be clear and bright. If one ponders and seeks external worldly things, it is like striking a monkey, which only produces filth; if one ponders and seeks the Buddha-Dharma, it is like smelting pure gold: the more it is smelted, the purer it becomes.' Furthermore, the Bodhisattva-śīla Sūtra says: 'If a bodhisattva does not read and recite the correct sūtras of the Tathāgata, but reads and recites worldly classics, literary odes, books, and commentaries, they commit an offense. They do not commit an offense if it is for the sake of debate to refute false views, or if two parts are Buddhist sūtras and one part non-Buddhist books. Why is this? It is so that they may know that external scriptures are false dharmas and the Buddha-Dharma is real; so that they may know worldly affairs; and so that they will not be treated with contempt by worldly people.' Based on this textual evidence, if a learner of the Buddha-Dharma completely abandons the internal to pursue the external, they immediately commit an offense. Even if they understand the principles and practice, they may only study them temporarily; in order to subdue non-Buddhists, they must still feel revulsion and advance in cultivating internal endeavors, striving to make them supreme. If they are exclusively indulged and attached, they destroy the saddharma. Therefore the Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra says: 'If a bodhisattva abandons what the Buddha taught and does not study it, but instead practices non-Buddhist false treatises and worldly classics, this is called committing a multiplicity of offenses; this offense arises from defilement. If a person of superior intelligence is able to quickly receive and study them and attain unshakeable wisdom, and in their months and days always uses two parts to receive and study the Buddha-Dharma and one part for external classics, this is called not committing an offense. If toward worldly classics and non-Buddhist false teachings one takes pleasure, does not abandon them, and does not form the thought of casting them aside, this is called committing a multiplicity of offenses; this offense arises from defilement.' The verse says:

23.33

The winter fox grows abundant fine fur; / The spring silkworm draws out light silk. / The physical frame, on the contrary, becomes an obstruction; / The mental consciousness, in turn, deceives itself. / Losing one's baby teeth, one sings and drums one's belly; / Throughout one's youth and early days, / Driving a carriage, one chases knights-errant; / Pouring wine, one dallies with bewitching beauties. / Only thinking of the delights before one's eyes, / How could one know the sorrow of future lives? / Startled, once feeling shame, / One says farewell forever to passion and love. / Wishing to know the origin of the real and the false, / The defiled and the pure naturally separate. / Ashamed to be hindered by the five hindrances, / How can one know how to equal the four reliances?

23.34

Chapter 15: Exhortation and Guidance (This has four sections)

23.35

Section on Stating the Intention
Section on Citing Evidence
Section on Generating Faith
Section on Karmic Causes

23.36

Section 1: Stating the Intention

23.37

Now, nobility and baseness are not permanent; poverty and wealth are not fixed. They are like water and fire alternating, or cold and heat succeeding one another. Thus we see those whose wealth fills their houses, whose clothing is warm and abundant, and who, with sufficient people, obtain things naturally without toiling to seek them. Again we see those who are impoverished, wretched, hungry, and exhausted, toiling with bodily strength and rushing in pursuit; rising at dawn and sleeping at night, their physical frames become withered and emaciated, and their minds become weary and agitated. Even if they obtain something, it is scattered and lost in a hundred ways; all day long they wish for affluence, yet have never had it even for a moment. Because of this suffering, we therefore exhort and encourage them to bestow alms and vigorously cultivate merit. Again, if there are people whose furs, clothing, and ornaments are fresh, radiant, fragrant, and clean, and as the seasonal qi of spring and autumn, cold, warmth, coolness, and heat change through the four seasons, they lack nothing according to their needs; yet again we see those who do not have a full foot of cloth, whose ten feet of silk are worn and tattered, stained with dirt and soot, foul-smelling, greasy, rotten, and decayed—in burning summer heat they know not fine or coarse linen, in ice and snow they know not silk or floss—down to their physical frames being uncovered, the foul exudations of men and women being not only shameful but truly disgraceful. If one sees this suffering, how could one not keep distant from it? Therefore we exhort and encourage them to cultivate merit: they should give clothing and dwellings. How could one not see that the multitude all have them, while I alone have none? For this reason, one must bravely and vigorously cultivate. Again, if there are people for whom food consists of sweet flavors served together with rare delicacies fully presented, with low tables joined and double trays filling couches and spreading across mats, where fragrant fats and rich perfumes are laid out in full; yet again there are those for whom unhusked millet is insufficient, goosefoot and bean-leaf soup is constantly lacking, salt and sour plums have long been completely absent, and fish and vegetables have long been doubly wanting—down to eating only every other day, with thin gruel succeeding thin gruel, mixed with water fruits and supplemented with grasses and vegetables, yellowed, withered, distressed, and sick, having no way to sustain themselves. If one sees this suffering, how could one not keep distant from it? Therefore we exhort and encourage them to cultivate merit: they should give food, drink, and water. How could it be that the multitude are all sufficient, while I alone am destitute? For this reason, one must bravely and vigorously cultivate. Again, if there are people whose glorious status is illustrious and prominent, who ride fat horses and wear light furs, doing as they please in comfort and ease, looked up to by devas and humans when they go forth, and revered by ghosts and spirits when they abide; yet again we see those who are lowly, vulgar, mean, and despised, whom people do not deign to mention, who in living do not know life and in dying do not know death, in the mire beside gutters and ditches, sitting and lying in excrement and earth, and though they have voices of protest, it only results in the suffering of being beaten and whipped; not only do spirits and ghosts not respect them, but even dogs inflict harm upon them. If one sees this suffering, how could one not keep distant from it? Therefore we exhort and encourage them to cultivate merit: they should eliminate arrogance and practice humility and respect. How could it be that other people are constantly noble while I am constantly base? For this reason, one should bravely and vigorously cultivate. Again, if there are people whose appearance is upright and handsome, whose voice and deportment are refined, who constantly preserve broad benefit, who are kind, compassionate, universally loving, and whose words do not harm creatures; yet again there are people whose appearance is deformed and ugly, whose speech is precipitous and violent, who know only self-benefit and do not consider others. Because the former practiced kṣānti, they achieved excellence; because the latter had much anger, they brought about evil. If one sees this suffering, how could one not keep distant from it? Therefore we exhort and encourage them to cultivate merit: they should eliminate anger and practice kṣānti. How could one allow the multitude to constantly abide in superior realms, while I am forever separated from pure conditions? For this reason, one must bravely and vigorously cultivate. Again, if there are people whose mental fortitude is strong and competent, who have few illnesses, and are always capable of practicing the Way without obstacles; yet again there are people who are emaciated, consumptive, full of ailments, whose breath and strength are worn and feeble, who become more distressed at every move, finding no peace in sleeping or sitting. Seeing such evil, it is truly fitting to abandon it and keep distant. Therefore we exhort and encourage them to cultivate merit: they should give medicines and provide timely relief. How could it be that the multitude are always free of disease and distress, while I am forever afflicted and mired? For this reason, one must bravely and vigorously cultivate. All matters such as these are truly what should most be exhorted. If we do not exhort one another, then practitioners will not be diligent.

23.38

Section 2: Citing Evidence

23.39

As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: Living at home is like a prison, wives and children are like chains and stocks, wealth and possessions are like a heavy burden, and relatives are like mortal foes. Yet if one can for one day and one night observe the pure prohibitions, cultivate the path throughout the six periods of the day, additionally observe the three long months every year and the six fast days every month, moderate one's food with simple vegetables, restrain body, speech, and mind without letting them run after external objects, dedicate oneself exclusively to transcending worldly ways, aspire loftily to the Buddha-Dharma, make no error in rising and bending, commit no fault in sitting and lying down, fix the mind upon the sign of daylight at night, contemplate pure teachings by day, deeply revere śramaṇas, and cultivate compassion to benefit worldly folk—if one can act like this, then even though one lives at home, one can transcend suffering. Therefore the sūtra says: When the Buddha-Dharma is about to disappear, white-robed laymen will protect the Dharma. Cultivating goodness and ascending to rebirth in the heavens is like snow falling from the sky; a bhikṣu transgressing the precepts and vinaya and falling into the evil destinies is like rain dropping from the heavens. One should know that cultivating blessings in the midst of suffering brings the greatest blessings, while committing offenses in the midst of blessing brings no light offense. Therefore, going from suffering into happiness, one does not yet know the joy within joy; going from happiness into suffering, only then does one know the pain within pain. These words can be verified; may one reflect upon them with care! Moreover, a verse in the Dharmapada says:

23.40

No heat surpasses lust; / No poison surpasses anger; / No suffering surpasses the body; / No happiness surpasses extinction.

23.41

Having spoken this verse, the Buddha told the bhikṣus: Long ago, immeasurable ages in the past, there was a bhikṣu with five supernormal knowledges named Vīryabala ('Energy-Strength'). He was seeking the Way in solitary tranquility beneath a tree in the mountains. At that time, four beasts took refuge nearby and were constantly at peace. The first was a dove, the second a crow, the third a venomous snake, and the fourth a deer. These four beasts roamed for food by day and returned to roost at night. One night the four beasts asked among themselves: 'Among the sufferings of the world, which is the heaviest?' The crow said: 'Hunger and thirst are the most painful. At the time of hunger and thirst, the body is emaciated, the eyes are dim, and the consciousness is restless; one casts oneself into nets, heedless of sharp blades. For us to lose our lives never fails to stem from this. Therefore, hunger and thirst are suffering.' The dove said: 'Lust is the most painful. When sexual desire blazes furiously, there is no consideration of anything else; endangering the body and destroying life never fails to stem from this.' The venomous snake said: 'Anger is the most painful. Once venomous thoughts arise, they spare neither near nor distant; one can kill others and also kill oneself.' The deer said: 'Terror is the most painful. When I am in the forest and wilds, my heart is always terrified; I dread hunters, jackals, and wolves. If there is faintly a sound, I flee and plunge into ravines; mother and child abandon each other, heart and gall trembling. Therefore, terror is suffering.' Hearing them, the bhikṣu replied to them, saying: 'What you discuss is merely the branches; you do not investigate the root of suffering. Among the sufferings under heaven, none surpasses possessing a body. The body is a vessel of suffering, bearing boundless grief and fear. For this reason, I renounced the world to learn the Way, extinguishing mental activity and severing thoughts, without greed for the four great elements, wishing to cut off the source of suffering and setting my resolve on nirvāṇa. Hence I know that the body is the great root of suffering.' Therefore the secular book says: 'There is no greater calamity than possessing a body.'

23.42

Section Three: Generating Faith

23.43

As the Sūtra of the Bhikṣu Nāgasena's Questions to the Buddha says: At that time King Milinda asked the arhat Bhikṣu Nāgasena, saying: 'If a person does evil in the world, and upon approaching death at the age of one hundred, he is mindful of the Buddha and after death is born in heaven, I do not believe this statement. And it is said that killing a single living creature means entering Avīci upon death; I also do not believe this.' Bhikṣu Nāgasena asked the king: 'If a man takes a small stone and places it upon the water, does the stone float or sink?' The king said: 'That stone sinks.' Nāgasena said: 'If one has a hundred large stones placed on a boat, does the boat sink or not?' The king said: 'It does not sink.' Nāgasena said: 'The hundred large stones in the boat do not sink because of the boat. Although a person may have original evil, through a single moment of mindfulness of the Buddha, by this means he does not enter Avīci but is born in heaven. Why do you not believe it? That the small stone sinks is like a person who does evil and does not know the Buddha's sūtras, who after death enters Avīci. Why do you not believe it?' The king said: 'Excellent, excellent!' Bhikṣu Nāgasena said: 'Suppose two persons die at the same time: one is born in the seventh Brahmā heaven, and one is born in the country of Kaśmīra. Although the distances for these two persons differ, at the moment of death both arrive at the same time. It is like a pair of flying birds: one rests upon a tall tree, and one rests upon a low tree; when the two birds fly at the same time, their shadows reach the ground at the very same moment.' Bhikṣu Nāgasena said: 'If a foolish person does evil, he incurs great misfortune; if a wise person does evil, he incurs small misfortune. For example, when hot iron is on the ground, one person knows it is hot iron, and another does not; both take hold of it together. Yet the hand of the one who does not know is severely scalded, while that of the one who knows is scalded lightly. Doing evil is also like this: the fool is unable to repent himself, therefore his misfortune is great; the wise person, doing evil, knows it should not be done and daily repents his errors, therefore his misfortune is small.'

23.44

Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Four Grades of Study says: Ordinary worldly folk may sometimes be inferior to beasts, and beasts may sometimes surpass humans. Why is this? If a human commits offenses without stopping, upon death he enters hell; when the retribution for his offenses is finished, he only then becomes a hungry ghost; when the offenses of the hungry ghost are finished, he changes into a beast; when the offenses of the beast are finished, he then returns to human form. Because he finishes his offenses while among beasts, he then attains human form. Therefore, one should do good and honor the teachings of the Three Honored Ones, departing forever from the three evil destinies, enjoying the blessings of devas and humans, and ultimately attaining everlasting liberation.

23.45

Furthermore, the Sūtra of Forty-two Chapters says: The Buddha said: 'Under heaven there are five difficult things: being poor and giving dāna is difficult; being noble and rich and learning the Way is difficult; controlling one's life so as not to die is difficult; getting to see the Buddha's sūtras is difficult; and being born encountering a Buddha's era is difficult.'

23.46

Furthermore, the Samyuktāvadāna-sūtra states that there are eighteen matters extremely difficult in the world: 1. It is difficult to encounter the era of a Buddha. 2. Even if one encounters a Buddha, it is difficult to obtain a human body. 3. Even if one becomes a human, it is difficult to be born in the Central Realm. 4. Even if born in the Central Realm, it is difficult to be born into a noble clan. 5. Even if born into a noble clan, it is difficult to have the four limbs and six sense faculties intact. 6. Even if the four limbs and six sense faculties are intact, it is difficult to acquire property and wealth. 7. Even if one acquires wealth, it is difficult to encounter a good friend (kalyāṇamitra). 8. Even if one encounters a good friend, it is difficult to be endowed with wisdom. 9. Even if one is endowed with wisdom, it is difficult to possess a wholesome mind. 10. Even if one possesses a wholesome mind, it is difficult to be able to practice dāna. 11. Even if one is able to practice dāna, it is difficult to seek out worthy, good, and virtuous persons. 12. Even if one finds worthy and good persons, it is difficult to meet virtuous persons and go to their presence. 13. Even if one goes to their presence, it is difficult to find an opportune moment. 14. Even if one finds an opportune moment, it is difficult to receive and listen to their exposition. 15. Even if one listens to the exposition, it is difficult to attain correct understanding and wisdom. 16. Even if one attains understanding, it is difficult to be able to accept the profound sūtras. 17. Even if one accepts the profound sūtras, it is difficult to practice in accordance with the teaching. 18. Even if one can accept the profound sūtras and practice in accordance with the teaching, it is difficult to realize the holy fruit. These are the eighteen difficult matters.

23.47

Section Four: Karmic Causes

23.48

The Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on Crown Prince Śrīgupta says: King Ajātaśatru's crown prince was named Śrīgupta. He addressed the Buddha, saying: 'By what cause and condition does a bodhisattva obtain an upright and handsome appearance? By what cause and condition does he not enter a woman's womb, but is spontaneously born through transformation in a lotus flower? By what cause and condition is he able to know matters of past lives (pūrvanivāsa)?'

23.49

The Buddha told the prince: 'Because of being able to practice kṣānti, he is beautiful. Because of not being lustful and depraved, he is spontaneously born through transformation. Seven days after being born, he immediately knows past lives for immeasurable generations.'

23.50

'Furthermore, by what cause and condition does his body have the thirty-two marks? By what cause and condition does he have the eighty secondary signs? By what cause and condition do those who see the Buddha's body gaze upon it without satiety?'

23.51

The Buddha told the prince: 'Because originally as a bodhisattva he delighted in giving dāna of various diverse items to the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, teachers, parents, and people who requested and needed them, he attained the thirty-two marks. When he has a compassionate mind that pities the crawling creatures of the ten directions like looking upon his own infant, wishing to deliver them all, he attains the eighty secondary signs. Because he looks upon enemies as if looking upon his parents, with an equal mind devoid of difference, people gaze upon the Buddha without satiety.'

23.52

'Furthermore, by what cause and condition does he know the wisdom of profound sūtras and the practices of dhāraṇī? By what cause and condition does he know concentrated thought across the three times and attain peace? By what cause and condition do all those who hear the wholesome teachings spoken by the Buddha joyfully believe and accept them?' The Buddha told the prince: 'Because the bodhisattva delights in copying, believing, receiving, chanting, reciting, studying, and inquiring, he therefore knows the wisdom of profound sūtras and attains the practices of dhāraṇī. Furthermore, because he constantly focuses his mental application, he therefore attains peaceful samādhi. Because what he speaks is utmostly sincere, people believe and turn to whatever he says, and those who hear it rejoice. By what cause and condition is he not born in evil places? By what cause and condition is he born in heaven? By what cause and condition is he devoid of greed for sensual desire?'

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法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese