法苑珠林 75.6

75.6

Lustful sounds corrupt virtue—this is what the wise do not practice. The marks of desire bewilder the spirit—this is what the sages all abandon. Therefore, King You of Zhou lost his state, truly due to the fault of Bao Si; Duke Xian of Jin brought ruin to his house, truly through the crime of Li Ji. On Mount Ekaśṛṅga, one did not awaken to the shame of having one's neck ridden; when an appointment was made in the ancestral temple, could one have realized the agony of burning oneself alive? These all occur because sentient beings of the desire realm do not cultivate contemplative understanding, and cannot sever or subdue the defilements bound to this realm. Moreover, of earth, water, fire, and wind, which is the master? Body, sensation, mind, and dharmas—their original nature is entirely empty. The thin skin and the thick skin encompass only impurity; the stomach and the intestines are vile and foul beyond description. They constantly tend to drag people down into the three evil destinies. Therefore, the great beings, the bodhisattvas, constantly cultivate contemplative practice: foul stench overflows, filling the entire body; the enemy-bandits of the six dusts ever torment and disturb; the caṇḍāla of the five aggregates can hardly be approached. Ordinary beings, perverted and upside-down, indulge this greed and delusion, falsely perceiving seductive appearances and clinging to florid charms: gleaming white teeth, crimson lips, arched eyebrows, and high coiffures, trailing silhouettes graceful and meandering, adding to allure and gorgeous beauty. Thus did the untying of the pendant by the Luo River cause the Prince of Chen to halt his carriage; and the playing with the pearls at the bend of the Han River left tender feelings at the confluence of the rivers. Upon the terrace of Mount Wu, one entrusted oneself to the comings and goings of clouds and rain; beside the waters of Magu, one sent forth feelings amid the flowing springs. Thus was the fragrance of burning incense made to waft afar into the garments of Han Shou; and the melody plucked upon the zither caused Xiangru's intentions to be perceived from afar. Some became intimate through offering the pillow; some grew close through relying on the hung hat. How could they know that the physical form is like a mass of foam, its substance like floating clouds? Internal and external are alike empty, dispersing and vanishing in an instant. The entire body is impure; the whole frame is impermanent. Before long, it will be discarded into ditches and drains to feed ants and crickets. Whenever sentient beings engage in this misconduct, it contravenes the path of Brahmā and obstructs the karma of bodhi; it becomes the cause of the four destinies and brings about the retribution of the three paths. Thus we know that the root of the three realms of existence truly arises from the karma of lust, and retribution in the six destinies is especially caused by the defilement of attachment. Because it moisturizes karma with exceptional gravity, the sages instituted rules against it.