法苑珠林 30.7

30.7

Ever since the Great Sage went into hiding in the West and the correct teaching flowed to the East, the Buddha-Dharma was entrusted to kings of states to afford it protection and maintenance. However, as the royal law encroached and shifted, it daily declined into frailty, and the statutes for punishing offenders were nearly exhausted. If anyone heard it spoken of, they were instead insulted. Because monastics and the laity had long mingled in evil and diverged from proper sentiments, even if one wished to chastise and punish so as to reform evil toward good, relying on official power they unjustly oppressed pure people. The saṃgha had no strength, and their pure minds were instead defiled; those harboring deceit grew increasingly treacherous and were truly difficult to subdue. This brought the great teaching's function to a halt and caused the bequeathed customs to degenerate. Therefore, the *Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra* states: 'If future kings of the four castes, for the sake of protecting the Dharma, are able to sacrifice their bodies and lives, they should rather protect one bhikṣu who accords with the Dharma than countless evil bhikṣus. Such a king, having cast off his body, will be reborn in a pure land. If he follows evil ones, that king for countless lifetimes will not regain a human body. If kings and others do not chastise them, they will sever the Three Jewels and pluck out the eyes of sentient beings. Though they cultivate giving, morality, and wisdom for countless lifetimes, these will all be destroyed. Furthermore, an offending bhikṣu who ought to be chastised should be subjected to hard labor for one or two months, or one should not speak with him or sit with him, or banish him out of one country, up to four countries where the Buddha-Dharma exists. By punishing such evil bhikṣus, all good bhikṣus will dwell in peace and receive the Dharma, thereby causing the Buddha-Dharma to endure long without extinction.' Furthermore, the *Sarvāstivāda-śāstra* states: 'Violating a king's decree incurs a duṣkṛta offense.' Furthermore, the *Śrīmālādevī-sūtra* states: 'The World-Honoured One subdues those who ought to be subdued, and gathers in those who ought to be gathered in. Why is this? Because by subduing and gathering in, the saddharma is made to endure long, heavenly beings and humans fill the realms, evil destinies decrease, and one is able to roll along with the wheel of the Dharma rolled by the Tathāgata.' Furthermore, the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* states: 'Good sons, listen attentively, listen attentively! I shall now explain to you the karma by which the Tathāgata obtained long life. Bodhisattvas, through the causes and conditions of this karma, obtain longevity. One who wishes to obtain long life should be compassionate toward all sentient beings, regarding them as his own children; generate great kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity; receive the precept against killing, and teach them to cultivate good dharmas. He should also establish all sentient beings in the five precepts and ten good deeds. Moreover, he should enter the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, and all other evil destinies to rescue and deliver the beings suffering torment therein: liberating those not yet liberated, crossing over those not yet crossed over, causing those not yet in nirvāṇa to attain nirvāṇa, and consoling all who are terrified. By such karmic causes and conditions, a bodhisattva attains longevity and freedom in all wisdoms, and upon the end of that life, is reborn in the heavens.' Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, if within the Buddha-Dharma there are those who break precepts, commit deadly sins, and defame the saddharma, how can one regard such persons as one's own children?' The Buddha told Kāśyapa: 'Good son, just as when a king and his ministers punish and execute according to the crime those who violate the king's law without letting them off, the Tathāgata, the World-Honoured One, does not do so. Toward those who destroy the Dharma, he applies the expulsion karman, the censure karman, the abandonment karman, the formal charge karman, the unseen karman, the total expulsion karman, and the karman for not renouncing evil views. Good son, the Tathāgata, the World-Honoured One, applies such subduing karmans to those who slander the Dharma in order to show those who practice evil that there is retribution. After my nirvāṇa, wherever there may be, if there is a precept-holding bhikṣu fully endowed with deportment who protects and sustains the saddharma, and seeing those who destroy the Dharma, is able to expel, censure, and penalize them, you should know that this person attains immeasurable, incalculable merit. Up to this: if a good bhikṣu sees one who destroys the Dharma and leaves him without censuring, expelling, or charging him, you should know that this person is an enemy within the Buddha-Dharma. If he is able to expel, censure, and charge him, he is my true śrāvaka disciple.' It also says: 'The Tathāgata now entrusts the unexcelled saddharma to kings, great ministers, chancellors, bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās. These kings and the fourfold assembly should encourage and exhort all trainees to attain superior morality, concentration, and wisdom. If there are those who do not train in these three dharmas, but are negligent, break the precepts, and destroy the saddharma, the kings, ministers, and fourfold assembly should severely punish them.' The sūtra also says: 'If there is a bhikṣu whose requisites of sustenance are abundant, who is able to guard and maintain the precepts he has received, and who can make the lion's roar to explain widely the excellent Dharma—that is, the sūtras up to the adbhutadharma—expounding such nine divisions of scriptures for others to benefit and bring peace to sentient beings, he proclaims these words: "In the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra*, the Buddha forbade all bhikṣus to keep slaves, cattle, sheep, and other improper items. If any bhikṣu keeps such impure items, he should be punished. The Tathāgata previously stated in other sūtras: 'If there is a bhikṣu who keeps such improper items, a certain king shall punish him according to the Dharma and expel him, forcing him to return to lay life.'" If there is a bhikṣu who can make such a lion's roar, at that time those who break precepts, upon hearing these words, will all become enraged and harm this Dharma master. Even if this preacher of Dharma loses his life, he is still called one who holds the precepts, benefiting himself and benefiting others. For this reason, I permit the rulers of countries, ministers, chancellors, and upāsakas to protect the preacher of Dharma.' The sūtra clarifies in detail: 'When Bhikṣu Jñānaprabha protected the saddharma, he forbade all bhikṣus from breaking the precepts and keeping improper items. The precept-breaking assembly, hearing these words, came to harm him. At that time, there was a king named Guṇavān, who risked his life to protect Bhikṣu Jñānaprabha, fought with them, and rescued the Dharma master. From that time on, he was always able to encounter Buddhas, until eventually both attained Buddhahood.' [The Buddha] pointed to himself, saying: 'The king of that time was myself, and the Dharma-preaching bhikṣu was Kāśyapa Buddha. For the sake of protecting the Dharma, both were able to accomplish this adamantine body.' It also says: 'In the turbid and evil age after my nirvāṇa, states will be in chaos, plundering one another, and the people will be starved. At that time, many will bring forth the resolve to leave household life merely on account of hunger. Such persons are called bald people. These bald people, seeing pure bhikṣus who hold the precepts, are endowed with deportment, and protect the saddharma, will drive them out, kill, or harm them.' Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, how should these precept-holders who protect the saddharma wander through villages and towns to teach and transform?' 'Good son, for this reason, I now permit those who hold precepts to rely on white-robed [laypeople] who carry swords and staves as their companions. If kings, ministers, elders, upāsakas, and others, for the sake of protecting the Dharma, carry swords and staves, I declare them to be holding the precepts. Although they carry swords and staves, they must not take life. If they can act thus, they are called foremost in holding the precepts.' It also says: 'In the sūtras I have also said that those who commit the four pārājikas down to the minute duṣkṛtas should be severely punished. If sentient beings do not guard and uphold the precepts, how can they behold the Buddha-nature? Although all sentient beings have the Buddha-nature, they must rely on holding the precepts before they can perceive it. By perceiving the Buddha-nature, they attain anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi.' A verse also states: