法苑珠林 68.20

68.20

Fourth, explaining the arising of sinful actions among humans: Among humans there are the four continents. The people of the three directions—the south, Jambudvīpa; the east, Pūrvavideha; and the west, Aparagodānīya—arouse much evil and thus all possess the ten unwholesome actions. However, those of the east and west are lighter, while those of the south are the heaviest, because they possess the taking of unwholesome vows. If one discusses guilt with regard to the northern continent, Uttarakuru, that direction has only four unwholesome karmas: first, frivolous speech; second, covetousness; third, ill will; and fourth, wrong view. Because they have singing and chanting, they have frivolous speech. Covetousness, ill will, and wrong view are possessed in latency but do not manifest in action. Question: In the north they engage in sexual intercourse; why say there is no karmic path of sexual misconduct? Answer: In that direction there are no husbands and wives paired with each other; although they engage in sexual intercourse, there is no violation or seizing of another's partner, and thus there is no sexual misconduct. Question: Since they engage in sexual intercourse, covetous desire manifests in action; why then say it is only possessed in latency and does not manifest in action? Answer: Their arousal of sexual desire is not something that worldly conventions can regulate; although it frequently manifests in action, the sages declare it to be free of guilt. When the sexual act aroused by this covetous mind is not even a sinful karma and does not induce painful retribution, how much less could the covetousness in the inner mind that arouses it be so? It is like the covetous attachment between worldly husbands and wives, which is not prohibited. Question: Since the people of the northern continent engage in singing and chanting, which are contrary to the Dharma, this constitutes false speech; why not say they have the karma of false speech? Answer: Those people are pure and straightforward, without deceit or falsehood; they have no mind to deceive others, and therefore it is not false speech. Because their lifespans are fixed at a thousand years, there is no taking of life. As for the clothing and food of that direction, non-glutinous rice grows naturally from the earth and precious garments emerge spontaneously from trees; there is no ownership or stewardship, and therefore there is no stealing. Because those people are gentle and harmonious, they have no karmas such as divisive speech or harsh speech. Thus the Saṃyuktābhidharma-hṛdaya-śāstra states: 'Uttarakuru has four unwholesome karmic paths. Because lifespan is fixed, there is no taking of life. Because there is no attachment to property, there is no stealing. Because there is no holding of women as possessions, there is no sexual misconduct. Because there is no deceiving others, there is no false speech. Because they are always in harmony, there is no divisive speech. Because they are gentle, there is no coarse language. Because there is singing and chanting, there is frivolous speech. As for the mental karmic paths, although they are possessed in latency, they do not manifest in action.'