法苑珠林 30.17

30.17

Furthermore, the Lotus Sūtra says: 'A bodhisattva-mahāsattva does not closely associate with kings, princes, ministers, or officials; does not closely associate with various non-Buddhists, brāhmaṇas, Nirgranthas, and the like, nor those who compose worldly literature, panegyrics, and non-Buddhist writings, up to hunting, fishing, and various evil vows of conduct; nor does he closely associate with those who seek the vehicle of the voice-hearer (śrāvaka). Moreover, he should not seize upon signs in a woman's body that can give rise to lustful thoughts and preach the Dharma for her, nor does he take pleasure in seeing her. If he enters another's house, he does not converse with young girls, virgins, or widows. Furthermore, he does not approach the five kinds of unmanly persons to make them close friends. He does not enter another's house alone; if there is a cause or condition requiring him to enter alone, he simply mindfulness of the Buddha single-mindedly. When preaching the Dharma for a woman, he does not show his teeth in smiling, nor does he expose his chest; he is not intimate even for the sake of the Dharma, much less for other matters. He takes no pleasure in keeping young disciples, śrāmaṇeras, or small boys, nor does he take pleasure in sharing the same teacher with them. He constantly delights in seated meditation, training and subduing his mind in empty and quiet places.' Furthermore, the Fo zang jing says: 'There are five kinds of impure preaching of the Dharma: first, claiming for oneself that one completely knows the Buddha-Dharma; second, when preaching the Buddhist sūtras, pointing out contradictory faults among the various scriptures; third, having doubt and disbelief in one's heart toward the teachings; fourth, relying on one's own understanding to negate the scriptural teachings of others; fifth, preaching the Dharma for others for the sake of material gain and offerings. For those who preach like this, I say that such persons will fall into hell and will not reach nirvāṇa.' It also says: 'For a long time I endured hardship and suffering to seek this Dharma-jewel, yet these evil people discard it and do not preach it; instead, relying on contradictory words and meanings in the scriptures, they mutually affirm and deny each other without conforming to the true Dharma. Within the noble Dharma, they harbor arrogance in their hearts, speaking as they please to seek material gain and offerings. If a bhikṣu preaches the Dharma mixed with the meanings of non-Buddhists, any good bhikṣu should rise from his seat and leave. If he does not do so, he is not a good bhikṣu, nor is he called one who follows the Buddha's teaching. For one who preaches like this, I say this person is called a disciple of the non-Buddhist Nirgranthas, not a disciple of the Buddha; he is to be regarded as one of hell, animals, or hungry ghosts. Why is this? If one's person has not realized the Dharma yet sits on a high seat, and being ignorant oneself yet instructs others, by law one falls into hell. Furthermore, in the future there will be bhikṣus who are fond of reading non-Buddhist scriptures; when preaching the Dharma, they will adorn their literary expressions to delight the multitude. At that time, evil Māra will assist in deluding the masses and obstructing the wholesome Dharma. If there are those who greedily cling to sounds and words with skillfully decorated rhetoric, or if there are those who are fond of non-Buddhist scriptures, Māra will delude them all, causing their minds to feel secure. Furthermore, just as a group of blind people who, discarding the goods they had acquired, wish to go to a great almsgiving but fall into a deep pit, so too are my disciples: they abandon coarse clothing and food to chase after great almsgivings seeking fine offerings; because of worldly gain, they lose great wisdom and fall into the deep pit of Avīci hell.' It also says: 'Preaching the Dharma with impurity incurs exceedingly great guilt; it also makes one an evil friend to sentient beings, and slanders the Buddhas of the past, future, and present. If someone were to take the lives of all the sentient beings in the trichiliocosm, the guilt of preaching the Dharma with impurity would be greater than this. Why is this? These people all destroy the anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi of all Buddhas to assist Māra's deeds, and they also cause sentient beings to undergo decline and distress for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, only able to bind them and unable to liberate them. You should know that such persons are evil friends to all sentient beings; because of this false speech, they slander the Buddhas in the midst of the great assembly, and for this reason fall into the great hells. Because they teach many sentient beings matters of wrong view, they are therefore called people of evil, wrong views.' It also says: 'Śāriputra, at that time there will be precept-breaking bhikṣus who, even for the sake of obtaining a single cup of wine, will expound the Buddha-Dharma to laypeople. What do you think? They have abundant greed, hatred, and delusion, and delight greatly in reciting sūtras; greedily clinging to gain and offerings, their conduct is impure. Śāriputra, if there is a bhikṣu who is advanced in years and virtuous, a dragon among bhikṣus, possessing deep wisdom, such a person can have faith in the Dharma of non-existence, intrinsic signlessness, and emptiness, the Dharma of no self and no person. Why is this? This person does not delight in noisy crowds and diverse talk, does not delight in sleep and multiple affairs, does not manage worldly business for laypeople, does not act as an envoy delivering letters, does not practice medicine, does not read medical formulas, does not engage in trade, and does not delight in discussing worldly matters; he only delights in wishing to speak of supramundane dharmas. Śāriputra, I now clearly tell you: good bhikṣus who seek their own benefit should at that time not enter the assembly even for a single night, with the sole exception of arhats whose defilements are already cut off, or sick bhikṣus who have circumstances among them. Why is this? Śāriputra, the people of that time will have the poisons of lust, anger, and delusion raging vigorously; they will constantly be pressed by the fear of failing to make a living. Good people who seek benefit should constantly dwell by themselves in small forests, empty and quiet, even until ending their lives dying like wild beasts.' It also says: 'This true Dharma of mine will not remain in the world for long. Why is this? The merit and wholesome roots of sentient beings are already exhausted, and the defiled age is at hand.'