法苑珠林 82.13

82.13

'If among the restrictive precepts
One does not wholeheartedly guard and maintain them,
One then goes against great compassion.
Even if a drop of wine were on the tip of a grass blade,
I would not dare taste or touch it.
For this reason I know
Wine is the cause of evil destinies.
The sūtras for householders
Speak of the evil retributions of wine;
Only the Buddha can discern them—
Who else could measure them?
The Buddha taught that among the three karmas
Of body, speech, and mind, the evil deeds
Have wine alone as their root,
Causing one to fall further into evil conduct.
Formerly, a laywoman,
Due to the cause and condition of wine,
Consequently broke the other four precepts;
This is counted among evil deeds.
Wine is the root of heedlessness;
Not drinking it closes the evil destinies,
Enabling one to attain a faithful and joyful mind,
To cast away stinginess and give away wealth.
Śūra, hearing what the Buddha taught,
Was able to obtain immeasurable benefit.
I have no contrary intention whatsoever
To violate or transgress them.
To speak of it in brief:
I would rather surrender hundreds of thousands of lives
Than violate the Buddha's teaching;
I would rather let my body wither and dry
Than ever drink this wine.
Even if by violating the precepts
My lifespan were a hundred thousand years,
It would not be as good as guarding the restrictive precepts
Though my body and life perish immediately.
Even if it were certain to cure me,
I still would not drink it,
How much less now when it is not known for certain
Whether it will cure me or not!'
Having formed this resolute mind,
Great joy arose in his heart;
He immediately attained the vision of the true reality,
And his affliction was completely eliminated.