法苑珠林 24.4

24.4

When a Dharma master ascends the seat, he must first pay homage to the Three Jewels and purify his own mind, observe the time and select the persons, and be endowed with the intention of loving-kindness and compassion to save living beings and benefit creatures; only then should he preach for them. Therefore, the *Bao’en jing* states: If the listener sits and the speaker stands, one should not preach for him. If the listener seeks the speaker’s faults, one should not preach for him. If the listener relies on the person and not on the Dharma, relies on the letter and not on the meaning, relies on sūtras of non-definitive meaning and not on sūtras of definitive meaning, or relies on consciousness and not on wisdom, for all such one should not preach. Why? Because such a person cannot venerate the pure Dharma of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. If the speaker shows reverence toward the Dharma, the listener will also give rise to veneration, listening and receiving with utmost sincerity without generating contempt. This is called pure preaching. Therefore, an Āgama verse says: