法苑珠林 82.24

82.24

"'You are truly a bhikṣu;
You are truly an ascetic.
Calling you a śramaṇa—
You truly match this title.
Due to the power of your virtue,
Your company of companions and their wealth and jewels
Were able to escape the calamity of the great ocean,
And all came forth in peace and safety.
Your words and vows are steadfast,
Respectfully complying with what the Buddha spoke.
You are a great, superior person,
Able to eliminate multitude of afflictions and perils.
How could I now
Not offer you protection?
To uphold the precepts when seeing the truth—
This matter is not difficult;
For an ordinary being not to break the prohibitions—
This is called rare indeed.
For a bhikṣu abiding in safety and peace,
To be pure and self-vigilant,
Being able not to break the restrictive precepts—
This too is not yet difficult.
Not yet having attained the trace of the Way,
Yet placed in great fear and terror,
To abandon the life one loves
To guard and uphold the Buddha's teachings and precepts,
Doing what is difficult to do—
This is the most rare of all.'"