法苑珠林 88.9

88.9

Furthermore, the Upāsakaśīla-sūtra says: The Buddha said: If one wishes to receive the upāsaka precepts to increase wealth and life, one should first consult one's natural parents, next inform one's wife, children, slaves, and servants, and next inform the king. (This need to inform is because if the king prohibits and does not permit the receiving of precepts, therefore one must inform him; if there was no prior prohibition, one need not trouble to inform him.) Having asked and received permission, whoever is a renunciant who has aroused the bodhicitta, one should go to their presence, bow with head to feet, gently make inquiries, and say: 'Venerable, I am a man endowed with a male body, wishing to receive the bodhisattva upāsaka precepts. May the Venerable take pity and permit it.' (At once speaking it is obtained. If receiving the prātimokṣa precepts of the śrāvakas, even if there is no person who has aroused bodhicitta, as long as one arouses a Hīnayāna intention, receiving them from any of the five groups of renunciants equally obtains the precepts.) At that time, the bhikṣu should speak thus: 'Did your parents, wife, children, slaves, servants, and king all give permission?' If he says they have permitted, he should further ask: 'Have you not owed property of the Buddha, Dharma, or Saṃgha, or the property of others?' If he says he owes nothing, he should further ask: 'Within your body now, are there no internal or external illnesses of body or mind?' If he says there are none, he should further ask: 'Have you not committed unrighteous acts against bhikṣus or bhikṣuṇīs?' If he says he has not done so, he should further ask: 'Have you not committed the five heinous sins? Are you not a person who has stolen the Dharma? Are you not a rootless person or a person of two roots? Have you not taken the eight fasting precepts and violated the grave ones? When your parents or teachers were ill, did you not abandon them? Have you not killed a person who has aroused bodhicitta? Have you not stolen the property of the present Saṃgha? Have you not become an evil person through slander and harsh speech? Have you not committed unrighteous acts against your mother, daughter, or sister? Have you not spoken falsely before the great assembly?' If he says none of these are so, he should further tell him: 'Good man, these precepts are extremely difficult. They can serve as the root for the ten precepts of a śrāmaṇera, the precepts of a fully ordained bhikṣu, the bodhisattva precepts, and even up to bodhi. Receiving and upholding them with a sincere mind, one can attain immeasurable benefits of such precepts. If someone violates such precepts, they will abide in the three evil destinies for immeasurable and boundless lifetimes, suffering great afflictions. Now, you wish to attain immeasurable benefits; can you receive them with a sincere mind?' If he says he can, he should next teach him to take the three refuges. He should further ask: 'These precepts are extremely difficult. Having taken refuge in the Buddha, would you rather forfeit body and life and never rely on Īśvara and the like? Having taken refuge in the Dharma, would you rather forfeit body and life and not rely on non-Buddhist texts? Having taken refuge in the Saṃgha, would you rather forfeit body and life and never rely on non-Buddhist heterodox assemblies? Can you thus sincerely take refuge in the Three Jewels?' If he says he can, he should be made to attend upon and serve a wise renunciant for a full six months. The wise one should further sincerely observe his four postures of deportment. If he knows that this person can act according to instruction, after six months have passed, the assembly of monks should be gathered to reach a full twenty persons to make the motion (jñapti-karman), saying: 'Let the Venerable Saṃgha listen. So-and-so now begs to receive the upāsaka precepts before the Saṃgha. In these six months, he has purified his four postures of deportment and sincerely received and upheld them, purifying the ground of adornment. This person is a man endowed with a male body. If the Saṃgha approves, let the Saṃgha remain silent; if not, let them speak.' (At once speaking it is obtained. If he did not believe in heterodoxy but has always had right faith, he does not need to receive this refuge reversing heterodoxy and undergo the six months' trial; simply questioning the obstructions and impediments and having him repent, one then directly confers the five precepts, the eight precepts, and the three refuges, and it is obtained; it is not like this.)