法苑珠林 90

English (machine translation) 90

Language: English

90.1

Compiled by Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

90.2

Chapter 88: Breaking the Precepts (This has two sections)

Verily, this virtue of the precepts is rooted in vows profound and weighty; for saving living beings and benefiting creatures, it is praised as supreme. Therefore, to receive them is very easy, but to maintain them is rather difficult. If one does not meticulously contemplate and guard them, how could the great fruit possibly be attained? One fears that an error of a hair's breadth leads to a loss of a thousand li. If minor faults are concealed, they become great sins hard to extinguish; if disclosed, they are all the more pardonable. Thus we know that when there is a fault, one must confess it to enter the seven assemblies; clinging to folly without deśanā, one is discarded forever in the three destinies. Therefore, this single chapter comprehensively illuminates the benefits and detriments of maintaining and violating precepts for both monastics and layfolk. If householders in white robes once had slight faith and received the precepts, but, overcome by fame and profit, lost their mindfulness and transgressed, this is therefore also addressed here. If they are ordinary white-robed people whose karmic consciousness gallops like the wind, infatuated with wealth and sex, craving fame and profit, delighting in attachment to the five desires, and having no faith in the Buddha's Dharma, these are definitely guilty people and not what is illuminated here. What is described now concerns ordained monks, nuns, upāsakas, and the like; fearing that they will contravene the Buddha's teachings and vainly be tainted by fame and profit, this is now especially expounded. If they are superior white-robed folk, seeing the Buddha rebuke the sins of monastics, they will immediately encourage themselves, examining themselves so as not to commit them: 'The monastic life is pure and open, aspiring high to the profound tracks, yet they still lose mindfulness, transgress, and are interrogated and rebuked by the Buddha. We white-robed folk have neither shame nor remorse, openly committing offenses day and night without ceasing, never feeling disgraced or reforming. Therefore the Tathāgata abandons us without gracing us with teachings.' They then correct their faults, quiet their minds, and do not transgress. It is like a wise person who first cautions his own person; seeing others rebuked, he also reforms himself. Thus the text says: 'Seeing the worthy, think of emulating them; seeing the unworthy, examine oneself within.' If they are inferior, ordinary, foolish people lacking understanding, seeing the Buddha rebuke the saṃgha of monks who commit faults, they only add contemptuous laughter and ruin their good minds, not reflecting that their extreme folly and stupidity is worse than that of beasts. They are also like a drunkard who falls and lies in a cesspool, vomiting messily, his body soiled with excrement and urine, looking up at the people on the bank and instead rebuking them for not being upright. Such people are just like this. Therefore, even though the Tathāgata wishes to rescue them, there is no way out for them. Thus a sūtra says: 'It is like a person who falls into a cesspool, submerged entirely with not a single hair left to pull. How can one save him?'

90.5

Section 2: Citing Testimonies

90.6

As the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra states: 'The Buddha told the bhikṣus: "If I did not keep the precepts, I would fall into the three evil paths, and would not even obtain a base human body, much less be able to mature sentient beings, purify Buddha lands, and be fully endowed with sarvākārajñatā."' Furthermore, the Satyavadvipravāra Sūtra states: 'If one does not keep the precepts, one will not even obtain the body of a mangy jackal, much less obtain a body endowed with merit.'

90.7

Furthermore, the Brahmajāla Sūtra states: 'If a disciple of the Buddha, having left home with faithful mind and received the Buddha's prohibitive precepts, intentionally gives rise to the thought of violating the noble precepts, he must not receive any offerings from any dānapati, nor drink the water or dwell on the land of a king. Five thousand great ghosts will constantly block his way; the ghosts will cry, "Great thief!" When he enters a saṃghārāma, city, or house, the ghosts will sweep away his footprints. All worldly people will curse him, saying, "Thief within the Buddha's Dharma!" No sentient beings will wish to lay eyes upon a person who has broken the precepts; he is no different from a beast, no different from a piece of wood.'

90.8

Furthermore, the Ratnarāśi Sūtra states: 'If a bhikṣu who breaks the precepts receives homage and offerings from one who maintains the precepts, not recognizing his own evil, he will incur eight light states. What are the eight? First, he becomes foolish. Second, his mouth becomes dumb. Third, he receives a stunted and ugly body. Fourth, his facial features are hideous and his face is twisted, laughed at by all who see him. Fifth, he is reborn in a female body as a poor maidservant. Sixth, his form is emaciated and his lifespan cut short. Seventh, people do not respect him and he constantly has an evil reputation. Eighth, he will not encounter the era of a Buddha.'

90.9

The Buddha said: 'If anyone who is not a śramaṇa claims to be a śramaṇa, or not practicing pure conduct claims to practice pure conduct, on this great earth there is not even a place for him to spit or blow his nose, much less to raise or lower his feet, come or go, bend or stretch. Why is this? In the past, great kings took this great earth and bestowed it upon those who keep the precepts and possess virtuous conduct, so that they might practice the Middle Way. For this precept-breaking bhikṣu, all faithful offerings are unmerited by him, let alone the premises of saṃgha rooms; robes, bowls, bedding, medicine, and faithful offerings should not be received by him. If a precept-breaking bhikṣu—as if dividing a single hair into a hundred parts—if an evil bhikṣu receives from people a faithful offering the size of one hair's division, in proportion to that hair's division received, it brings harm to the donor.'

90.10

['The Buddha said:'] 'For example, when a lion, king of beasts, dies, no creature can eat its flesh; worms born from within the lion's own body instead eat its flesh. In my Dharma, evil bhikṣus who have left home, greedy for and coveting gain and offerings, are obscured by greed and do not recognize evil dharmas, being able to destroy my Dharma. You should know that these evil bhikṣus fulfill four dharmas: first, not revering the Buddha; second, not revering the Dharma; third, not revering the Saṃgha; fourth, not revering the precepts.' At that time, the World-Honoured One spoke verses, saying:

90.11

In their minds they seek material gain,
Yet with their mouths they speak of being content;
Seeking gain through wrong livelihood,
They are always devoid of joy.
Their minds are full of deceit,
Cheating and deluding all.
Such a mind as this
Is entirely impure.
The devas, spirits, and nāgas
Who possess the divine eye,
And the Buddhas, the World-Honoured Ones,
All equally know it.

90.12

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa: 'What is a caṇḍāla-śramaṇa? Kāśyapa, just as a caṇḍāla constantly walks among charnel grounds searching for corpses, devoid of loving-kindness when looking upon sentient beings, and feels great joy in his heart upon seeing a corpse, so too is a śramaṇa-caṇḍāla: constantly devoid of a compassionate mind, he visits the homes of donors practicing unwholesome thoughts. Having obtained what he sought, he gives rise to thoughts of valuing them highly. After receiving material gain from the donor's home, he does not teach the Buddha's Dharma, associates intimately with laypeople, is devoid of a compassionate mind, and constantly seeks material gain. This is called a śramaṇa-caṇḍāla. Such a caṇḍāla is abandoned and avoided by all people. Just as a caṇḍāla never arrives at an auspicious place wherever he goes—why is this? Because he personally practices bad deeds—so too the places to which such a śramaṇa-caṇḍāla goes are also never the good destinies, as he creates much bad karma, having no Dharma to block the evil destinies. Just as a spoiled seed will ultimately never sprout, so too such a ruined śramaṇa, though within the Buddha's Dharma, does not give rise to wholesome roots and does not attain the fruits of a śramaṇa.'

90.13

Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'Just as the great ocean does not harbour a corpse, just as the mandarin duck does not dwell in a privy, just as Śakra Devānām Indra does not live with ghosts, and just as the kokila bird does not perch on a withered tree, so too is a person who has broken the precepts.'

90.14

Furthermore, the Kāśyapa Sūtra says: The Buddha said to Kāśyapa, 'One who has managed to leave home within the True Dharma should make this reflection: "The present Buddhas of the worlds in the ten directions all know my mind. I must not act as a śramaṇa-thief within the Buddha's Dharma." Kāśyapa, what is called a śramaṇa-thief? There are four kinds of śramaṇa-thieves. What are the four? Kāśyapa, if there is a bhikṣu who arranges his kāṣāya to resemble a bhikṣu, yet breaks the prohibitive precepts and commits unwholesome deeds, this is called the first śramaṇa-thief. Second, after sunset, his mind ponders unwholesome dharmas; this is called the second śramaṇa-thief. Third, having not yet attained the noble fruit and knowing himself to be an ordinary person, he falsely proclaims for the sake of material gain, "I have attained the fruit of an arhat"; this is called the third śramaṇa-thief. Fourth, he praises himself and disparages others; this is called the fourth śramaṇa-thief. Kāśyapa, suppose there was a person endowed with great power who, through harm with knives and staves, seized all the precious gems and implements of pleasure belonging to sentient beings in the trichiliocosm. Kāśyapa, what do you think? Would the guilt incurred by this person be great or not?' Kāśyapa said to the Buddha, 'Extremely great, World-Honoured One.' The Buddha said to Kāśyapa, 'If there is an ordinary person who has not attained the noble fruit, who for the sake of material gain falsely proclaims, "I have attained the fruit of a srotāpanna," if he receives even a single meal, his guilt is greater than that. As I observe it, within the Dharma of a śramaṇa there is no guilt heavier than falsely claiming to have attained the noble fruit.' The Buddha said to Kāśyapa, 'There are also four subtle afflictions of those who have left home. What are the four? First, seeing others obtain gain, their minds give rise to jealousy. Second, hearing the sūtras and prohibitive precepts, they conversely violate and break them. Third, defying the Buddha's words, they conceal [their transgressions] without repenting. Fourth, knowing themselves to have broken the precepts, they accept the faithful offerings of others. If a person who has left home is endowed with these afflictions, he enters hell like one carrying a heavy burden. Kāśyapa, there are four forms of heedlessness through which those who have left home enter hell. What are the four? First, heedlessness regarding erudition: relying on their own erudition, they give rise to heedlessness. Second, heedlessness regarding material gain: due to obtaining material gain, they give rise to heedlessness. Third, heedlessness regarding intimate friends: relying on intimate friends, they give rise to heedlessness. Fourth, heedlessness regarding dhūta practices: relying on dhūta practices, they elevate themselves and disparage others. These are called the four kinds of heedlessness leading to a fall into hell.'

90.15

At that time, Mahākāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, in the future degenerate age, the final five hundred years, there will be semblance-śramaṇas whose bodies are draped in the kāṣāya, who will destroy the anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi that the Tathāgata accumulated over immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas.' The Buddha told Kāśyapa, 'Do not ask about this. Why is that? Those foolish persons truly possess faults and evil; they completely accept all the works of Māra. The Tathāgata does not say that such persons attain the Way. Even if a thousand Buddhas appeared in the world, teaching and transforming them with various spiritual penetrations, their evil desires could not be brought to rest.' Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, I would rather bear atop my head the mountains, rivers, and hamlets of all sentient beings of the four continents for a full kalpa or a kalpa minus a fraction, than hear the voice of disbelief from those foolish sentient beings. World-Honoured One, I would rather sit upon a single sesame seed for a full kalpa or a kalpa minus a fraction, than hear the voice of precept-breaking from those foolish people who lack faith. World-Honoured One, I would rather walk, stand, sit, or lie in the fire of the major kalpa for hundreds of thousands of koṭis of years, than hear the voice of precept-breaking from those foolish people who lack faith. World-Honoured One, I would rather endure the wrath, insults, beatings, and harms of all sentient beings, than hear the sounds of violating the precepts from those great thieves who lack faith and steal the Dharma.'

90.16

Furthermore, a verse in the Alaṃkāra-śāstra says:

90.17

Those who are deceitful and flattering
Have minds that dwell in material gain.
Because they feed upon material gain,
They take no delight in secluded, quiet places.
Their minds constantly dwell upon gain,
Without rest day or night:
"That place has food and clothing;
So-and-so is my close friend;
He will surely come and invite me."
With minds dwelling on so many attachments,
They ruin a tranquil mind
And do not delight in empty, quiet places.
Always delighting in being among human society,
Because they are ruined by material gain,
They fall down into the three evil destinies,
Obstructing the supramundane path.

90.18

Using this text as evidence, foolish people turn their backs on the Way and exclusively pursue fame and gain, producing only bad karma, constantly following saṃsāra and always dwelling in darkness. If they hear of the prohibitive precepts and broad learning through erudition, they immediately say: 'I am an ordinary fool of inferior faculties. Unless one is a great sage, who can fully abide by them?' If they hear of royal tax levies and various forms of arduous labor demanding that they be forced into common secular service, they then say: 'I am a śramaṇa who has left home to practice pure conduct; I am higher than humans and devas, and more precious than gold and jade. How could I participate in such matters?' Therefore, the Fo zang jing says: 'Just as a bat, when wishing to catch birds, enters a hole and becomes a rat, and when wishing to catch rats, flies in the air and becomes a bird, yet in reality possesses none of the functions of a great bird; its body is foul and filthy, and it takes delight only in darkness. Śāriputra, a bhikṣu who breaks the precepts is also like this: he neither joins the poṣadha and pravāraṇā, nor enters the king's corvée service. He is not called a white-robed [layperson], nor is he called one who has left home. He is like charred wood from a corpse, no longer of any use.'

90.19

Furthermore, the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra says: 'If one eats not for the sake of cultivating goodness, then one futilely feeds an adversarial thief, and also ruins the donor's merit and harms people's offerings. In this manner, one should not eat the food of others.'

90.20

Furthermore, the Fo zang jing says: 'Having succeeded in leaving home and calling themselves śramaṇas, they are unable to endure the real teachings of the Buddha. Within this Dharma, they cannot cultivate their minds and do not attain its flavor; shaking their hands, they depart and fall into the evil destinies, just like a suckling pig leaving the bedding. A bhikṣu who breaks the precepts must, for hundreds of thousands of koṭis of kalpas, have the flesh of his body sliced away to repay the donors. If born as an animal, his body will constantly bear heavy burdens. Why is this? Just as dividing a single hair into a hundred billion parts, a precept-breaking bhikṣu cannot even consume a single part of an offering, much less consume the clothing, food, drink, bedding, and medicine of others. Such persons as these, having left home within my Dharma to seek the Way, instead incur heavy guilt. Śāriputra, such persons as these are rebels within my Dharma, are thieves of the Dharma, and are deceitful and fraudulent people. Merely seeking a livelihood and heavily greedy for clothing and food, they are called the slaves of worldly pleasures.'

90.21

Furthermore, the Ekottarika Āgama says: 'Suppose there is a person who obtains offerings of clothing, drink and food, bedding, and medicine for sickness. Having obtained them, he simply eats them without giving rise to an afflicted, attached mind, devoid of any desiring intention, not giving rise to various conceptualizations, entirely free from such thoughts, knowing of himself the dharma of renunciation. Even if he does not obtain material gain, he does not give rise to confused thoughts, and his mind neither increases nor decreases. Just as the lion king eats small beasts, at that time that king of beasts also does not think: "This is good, this is not good," not giving rise to an afflicted, attached mind, devoid of desiring intentions, not giving rise to various conceptualizations. This person is also like this. This is unlike a person who receives the offerings of others and, having obtained them, simply eats them giving rise to an attached mind, producing intentions of affectionate desire, not knowing renunciation. If he fails to obtain them, he constantly gives rise to these thoughts and reflections. After obtaining offerings, that person becomes arrogant toward the bhikṣus and disparages others: "I am able to obtain gain, while these bhikṣus cannot obtain it." Just like among a herd of swine there is a pig who leaves the herd and approaches a great pile of dung; after this pig eats his fill of excrement, he returns to the herd of pigs and becomes arrogant: "I was able to obtain this fine food, while the other pigs could not obtain it." This is also like that. A bhikṣu should emulate the lion king and not be like a pig.'

90.22

Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: 'There are renunciants who delight in concocting medicinal broths, planting grains, growing trees, and the like, to make an impure livelihood; this is called downward-facing livelihood. Observing the stars and constellations, the sun and moon, wind and rain, thunder and lightning, to make an impure livelihood; this is called upward-facing livelihood. Flattering the powerful, acting as envoys in the four directions, and seeking much with clever words to make an impure livelihood; this is called directional livelihood. Studying various spells and incantations, divining auspiciousness and inauspiciousness with improper mental techniques—such impure livelihoods as these are called intermediate livelihood. Furthermore, there are five kinds of wrong livelihood. What are the five? First, fraudulently displaying strange and extraordinary appearances for the sake of material gain. Second, personally extolling one's own virtues for the sake of material gain. Third, divining auspiciousness and inauspiciousness and explaining them broadly to others for the sake of material gain. Fourth, displaying authority in a loud voice to make people fear and respect one for the sake of material gain. Fifth, proclaiming the offerings one has obtained in order to stir people's minds for the sake of material gain. One should know that when a renunciant, for the sake of pursuing material gain, maintains his life through various wrong livelihoods, all of these break the precepts and cannot avoid the evil destinies. Furthermore, a renunciant must constantly be free from attachment. If one is partial to a single place, one will develop many dwelling attachments, being biased toward one's own associates and giving rise to jealousy toward others.'

90.23

Furthermore, the Mahākāśyapa Sūtra says: The Buddha said to Maitreya, 'In the future degenerate age, the final five hundred years, there will be those who call themselves bodhisattvas but practice the ways of dogs. Just as a dog that first reaches another's house, upon seeing a subsequent dog arrive, gives rise to wrath, bares its teeth and barks at it, generating the thought in its mind: "This is my house," a bhikṣu is also like this. First reaching the home of another donor, he conceives the thought that it is his own home. Coveting this thought, when he sees a subsequent bhikṣu, he glares at him with angry eyes, gives rise to jealousy and wrath in his heart, and slanders him, saying: "Such-and-such bhikṣu has such faults; you must not draw close to him." Giving rise to jealousy, he practices the cause of hungry ghosts and the cause of poverty, which is included within the stinginess of households among the five kinds of stinginess in the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra.'

90.24

Furthermore, the Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra states: "Moreover, Śāriputra, there are five things pertaining to a renunciant bodhisattva. If someone possesses them, they will not encounter the era of a Buddha, will not draw near to good spiritual friends, will not be free from the [eight] conditions of adversity, will ruin their good roots, will not follow bodhisattvas firmly abiding in the moral disciplines to cultivate and learn the True Dharma, nor will they quickly awaken to unexcelled bodhi. Śāriputra, what are the five things possessed by a renunciant bodhisattva? First, violating śīla; second, slandering the True Dharma; third, craving fame and gain; fourth, obstinately clinging to the view of self; fifth, frequently giving rise to stinginess and jealousy toward other families [of donors]. Śāriputra, these are called the five things possessed by a renunciant bodhisattva by which they will not encounter the era of a Buddha, up to not attaining unexcelled complete and perfect bodhi. Śāriputra, it is like a starving dog frantically roaming along a road that encounters a bare bone that has long lacked meat and fat. Seeing only red paint smeared on it, the dog takes it to be a rich delicacy and grips it in its mouth. Coming to a crowded place at a crossroads, out of craving for its flavor, saliva drools onto the bone, and it deludedly imagines it to be sweet and delicious, gnawing or licking it, biting or sucking it, wrapped in affection with no intention of letting go. At that time, kṣatriyas, brāhmaṇas, and elders—all men of great wealth and nobility—come walking along this road. The starving dog sees them coming from afar, and burning agitation arises in its heart as it thinks: 'Could those people coming along be going to rob me of my treasured delicacy?' Thereupon it gives rise to great wrath toward those people, emits a deeply poisonous growl, casts wicked glances aside, bares its teeth, and bites and attacks them. Śāriputra, what do you think? Would those people coming along have other business, or would they be seeking this meatless, red-painted bare bone?" Śāriputra addressed the Buddha, saying: "No, World-Honoured One! No, Sugata!" The Buddha told Śāriputra: "If so, for what reason did that stingy, starving dog emit a deeply poisonous growl, bare its teeth, and bark?" Śāriputra said: "As I understand it, it feared that those people coming along were greedy for a fine meal and would surely rob it of its delicious ambrosial flavor. It was on account of such an idea that it bared its teeth and barked." The Buddha told Śāriputra: "So it is, just as you have said. In the future, in the final age, there will be bhikṣus who persistently practice stinginess toward other donor families, obsessively attached to feces and urine and deludedly wrapping themselves up in them. Although they have encountered the Tathāgata and are fully free from the conditions of adversity, they immediately abandon this and do not cultivate correct restraint. Regarding such bhikṣus, I say that their conduct is like that of the foolish dog before. Śāriputra, I have now appeared in the world out of pity for sentient beings, and wishing to bring this to an end, I have specifically reflected on this matter and spoken this parable for the sake of such wicked bhikṣus.

90.25

"Moreover, Śāriputra, these bodhisattva-mahāsattvas seek the wisdom of the Buddha in order to benefit and bring peace and happiness to immeasurable sentient beings, practicing vīryapāramitā. Those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas would even make an offering of the flesh of their own bodies, how much more so should they seek after wicked flesh of delusion, or give rise to stinginess and jealousy toward other families? Śāriputra, regarding those bhikṣus who are stingy toward other families, I say that such persons are foolish fellows, mere subsisters, servants and slaves guarding property and grain, prisoners bound by craving who value wealth and jewels, those who admire only food and clothing, who give rise to stinginess and jealousy in pursuit of deluded desire and craving for foul meat. Śāriputra, I now further preach this True Dharma: Those bhikṣus, having arrived first at another's house, should not look upon other bhikṣus and give rise to jealousy. If there is a bhikṣu who disobeys my Dharma teachings, seeing another bhikṣu, he might say: 'This donor's family was known to me first. Where have you come from to be here? I am extremely close with this family, bantering and exchanging regards. Where have you come from to brazenly encroach upon me?' Śāriputra, for what reason does that stingy bhikṣu give rise to partial jealousy toward the latecomer? Śāriputra, because the donor families promised him robes, bowls, food, drink, bedding, medicines for illness, and requisites for personal support, he thinks: 'I fear that the donor will give the items previously promised to the latecomer.' For this reason, this bhikṣu gives rise to three grave faults regarding the donor's family: First, he gives rise to the fault regarding the dwelling place—seeing other bhikṣus, he might resentfully say, 'I should now leave this place'; second, regarding whatever familiarity he had, he would say it is uncertain whether anything should be given; third, regarding families that are not fixed, he deludedly gives rise to various faults. Śāriputra, that stingy bhikṣu utters three types of evil speech against the latecomer: First, he speaks of the faults of the dwelling place, adding evil rumors to the family so that the later bhikṣu takes no pleasure in staying; second, whatever true words the later bhikṣu speaks, he counters by calling them falsehoods; third, he falsely assumes an appearance of goodness to flatter and attach himself to that person, watching for the slightest flaw to publicly expose and accuse him. Śāriputra, such a bhikṣu who gives rise to stinginess and jealousy toward other donor families will quickly extinguish all good worldly qualities he possesses, entirely and without remainder.

90.26

Furthermore, the Kāśyapa-sūtra states: "There are four kinds of heedlessness for which renunciants enter hell: first, heedlessness in extensive learning; second, heedlessness in gain and offerings; third, heedlessness in friends and relatives; fourth, heedlessness in dhūta practices. These people of four heedlessnesses are indeed wicked people who enter the Buddha's Dharma without seeking transcendence from the world, merely craving fame and gain to sustain their physical lives, and therefore they enter the evil destinies."

90.27

Furthermore, the Most Wondrous Samādhi Sūtra states: "A thousand years later, during a period of three hundred years, there will be vast turmoil! Fleeing male and female slaves and those from ruined and fallen states who mostly cannot survive will enter my Dharma, just like bands of thieves robbing the virtuous. At that time, the twelve branches of scriptures will sink into the earth, and no one will recite the sūtras anymore. Even if there are those who practice dhūta, most will not follow the Dharma, constantly roaming among villages rather than staying in mountain forests. As for Dharma masters explaining the Buddha's words, not one in ten thousand will hit the mark. At that time, there will be many laypeople, both men and women, who observe the precepts and practice purity, rebuking the bhikṣus. After the laypeople leave, they will say to one another: 'What I now understand is just as spoken from the Buddha's own mouth!' Or they will take heterodox speech, ornamental speech, and meaningless talk to be meaningful words, like a blind person pointing to the sun in the sky, talking of whether it is large or small, and so forth."

90.28

Furthermore, the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra states: "That wicked bhikṣu displays an appearance of observing the precepts, causing that dānapati to feel faith and reverence; thereupon, together with his companions, he repeatedly goes to that dānapati's house. Such a bhikṣu, following what little of the Buddha's Dharma he has heard and understood, joins with his companions to preach the Dharma he knows to that dānapati. Using such expedients, he desires that the dānapati redirect the gains and offerings meant for other bhikṣus and bestow them upon himself. Such a bhikṣu, though having the outward form of a śramaṇa, is the foremost great thief; arriving at the dānapati's house, he uses expedients to rob others of their wealth, profit, and offerings. When such a bhikṣu sees another's wealth, profit, and offerings, he gives rise to craving and jealousy, not for a moment, not even for the blink of an eye, performing good dharmas. That wicked bhikṣu, a precept-breaking śramaṇa, abandons practices such as seated meditation and recitation; there is not a single thought-moment in which he is not subsumed by hell, hungry ghosts, and animals." Relying on this textual evidence, craving gain brings suffering; one must not display an appearance of goodness to seek fame and gain. Therefore, even if renunciants are able to keep the precepts, if they do not understand the meaning of the scriptures, they may not necessarily sever afflictions. Because they do not contemplate the principle and do not sever the fetters, they frequently display an appearance of goodness and consider themselves superior to others. Even if they hear a person of superior wisdom speak of true non-self, they will not faithfully accept it, saying it is not the correct principle. Because of this, they slander the Dharma and practitioners of the Path, increasing their pride of self, and at death fall into hell. Therefore, even if foolish people rely on the precepts, because they lack the qualities of the Path, they frequently commit sinful deeds.

90.29

Furthermore, the Mahāratnakūṭa-sūtra states: "For renunciants, there are two kinds of bondage: first, the bondage of views; second, the bondage of gain and offerings. There are also two kinds of obstructive dharmas: first, intimacy with laypeople; second, hatred of good people. There are also two kinds of ulcers: first, seeking to see others' faults; second, concealing one's own transgressions. There are also two kinds of impure minds: first, reciting non-Buddhist scriptures; second, accumulating many fine robes and bowls."

90.30

Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa-sūtra states: "For renunciants, there are four kinds of foul sicknesses, because of which they cannot attain the four fruits of a śramaṇa. What are the four sicknesses? They refer to the four foul desires: first, the desire for robes; second, the desire for food; third, the desire for bedding; fourth, the desire for existence. There are four good medicines that can cure these sicknesses: first, robes made of rag patches can cure a bhikṣu's foul desire for robes; second, begging for food can shatter a bhikṣu's foul desire for food; third, sitting beneath a tree can shatter a bhikṣu's foul desire for bedding; fourth, tranquility of body and mind can shatter a bhikṣu's foul desire for existence. Removing these four sicknesses by means of these four medicines is called holy conduct. Such holy conduct can be called having few desires and being content."

90.31

Furthermore, the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra states: "A person who breaks the precepts is not protected or remembered by all the immeasurable Buddhas of the ten directions. Although called a bhikṣu, he is not counted among the Saṃgha. Why is this? Because he has entered the realm of Māra. I do not permit a person who violates the precepts to receive the faithful offerings of others even to the amount of a mustard seed. Why is this? Because this person has departed far from the Tathāgata's Dharma." Furthermore, a verse from the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra states:

90.32

"If one has no mind for recitation,
No meditation, and no exhaustion of outflows,
Though having the form of a bhikṣu,
Such a one is not a bhikṣu.
Better to eat snake venom and poisonous insects,
As well as molten gold and the like,
Than ever to break the prohibitive precepts
And eat the food and drink of the Saṃgha."

90.33

Therefore, a verse from the Mahālaṃkāra-sūtra-śāstra states:

90.34

"If one violates the prohibitive precepts,
An evil reputation will be heard in the present life;
Despised and looked down upon by people,
At the end of life one falls into the evil destinies."

90.35

Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: "A person who breaks the precepts is not respected by others; his dwelling is like a grave that no one visits. A person who breaks the precepts loses all merits; he is like a withered tree that no one delights in. A person who breaks the precepts is like a frost-bitten lotus flower that no one is pleased to see. A person who breaks the precepts has a terrifying, evil mind, just like a rākṣasa. A bhikṣu who breaks the precepts, though outwardly resembling a good person, has no good dharmas within; although shaving his head, dyeing his robes, and taking tally sticks in sequence, being called a bhikṣu, he is truly not a bhikṣu. If a person who breaks the precepts wears the kāṣāya, it is like wrapping his body in sheets of molten copper and iron; if he holds an alms bowl, it is a vessel holding molten copper; whatever he eats is swallowing hot iron pellets and drinking boiling molten copper; if he receives offerings and provisions from others, they are wardens of hell guarding him; if he enters a monastery, it is entering a great hell; if he sits on the couches and beds of the Saṃgha, it is sitting on a hot iron bed. A person who breaks the precepts constantly harbors fear, like a gravely ill person always fearing the arrival of death. A person who breaks the precepts falls into the evil destinies after death. If in the Copper Stake Hell, the rākṣasa wardens ask the sinners: 'Where have you come from?' They answer: 'I am in extreme agony and confusion and do not know where I came from; I suffer only from hunger and thirst.' If they say they are thirsty, at that time the wardens drive them to sit upon hot copper stakes, pry open their mouths with iron pincers, and pour in molten copper. If they say they are hungry, they seat them upon copper stakes and make them swallow iron pellets; entering the mouth, the mouth is scorched; entering the throat, the throat is rotted; entering the belly, the belly bursts; burning through, the five viscera rot and ruin, and it passes straight through to fall onto the ground. All these people, due to causes and conditions from past deeds, robbed others of their wealth to feed themselves. Or renunciants sometimes feigned illness to seek much ghee and rock sugar, or having no meditation, no precepts, and no wisdom, nevertheless received many offerings from people, or injured people with harsh speech. Because of such various causes and conditions and the power of past karma, they fall into the Copper Stake Hell beyond all description. Practitioners should single-mindedly receive and uphold the moral precepts." Furthermore, the Adbhutadharma-sūtra states: "There are bhikṣus whose speech and actions do not match, whose minds and mouths contradict one another. Some do so for gain, money, food, and drink; some for fame to gather followers; and some, loathing royal laws and corvée labor, leave home for the Path. They have no intention at all toward the three gates of liberation to cross beyond the suffering of the three realms of existence. With an impure mind they greedily receive faithful offerings, unaware that in future lifetimes they will endure disaster for kalpas to repay their past debts. Even if they cultivate further good and are born in heaven, they still have residual guilt to suffer even in heaven."

90.36

Furthermore, the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: If one has committed the karma of theft in a previous life, at that time he will see with his own eyes the devīs snatch away the adornments he wears and present them to other devaputras, and so forth, beyond full recounting.

90.37

Furthermore, the Xiangfa jueyi jing says: In future worlds, all secular people will look down upon and despise the Three Jewels precisely because bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs do not act according to the Dharma. They put on the kāṣāya but manage worldly affairs, or do business in the marketplace to support themselves, or travel along the roads as merchants seeking profit; or work as painters, scribes, statue-makers, and craftsmen; or practice divination concerning men and women, houses, fields, and gardens, prognosticating various kinds of fortune and misfortune; or drink alcohol, get drunk, sing and dance, make music, and play weiqi and liubo; or covet wealth and seek gain, idling away the days and months while neglecting and forgetting their scriptural study; or cure sicknesses with spells, falsely citing the scriptures while practicing dhyāna and divination to make a wrong livelihood; or practice medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, concocting herbal decoctions, taking pulses, and prescribing remedies, mingling promiscuously with men and women. In this way they incur defilement, ruining their good roots and increasing evil. It is indeed because of this that they invite the ridicule and slander of the worldly. Now, those who leave household life to seek liberation must first keep distant from sin, taking the precepts as foremost. If one does not rely upon the precepts, the manifold goods will not abide—just as when a person lacks a head, the sense faculties are ruined and he is called a dead man. Thus the Vimuttimagga says: 'Just as when a person has no head, all his sense faculties cannot grasp their objects, and at that time he is called dead; so too, a bhikṣu has the precepts as his head. If his head is severed, he loses all wholesome dharmas and is dead to the Buddha's Dharma, just as a corpse is not received by the great ocean.'

90.38

Therefore a verse in the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya says:

90.39

Just as there is a dead corpse
Which the great ocean will not tolerate,
Blown by the swift winds,
Cast away upon the shore.

90.40

Furthermore, a verse in the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says:

90.41

The Saṃgha is like the great ocean water;
The bound precepts form its shoreline.
If there is one who breaks the precepts,
He will never be counted among the Saṃgha.

90.42

Furthermore, the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya says: At that time, a bhikṣu took a śrāmaṇera along to return to visit his relatives. Their road passed through a wilderness. Midway, an amanushya transformed into a dragon, circumambulated the śrāmaṇera to the right, scattered flowers over him, and praised him, saying: 'Excellent! You have gained great and good benefit! You have abandoned household life to become a renunciant, and do not touch gold, silver, or coins.' The bhikṣu reached the relatives' house, exchanged inquiries, and wished to return. At that time, the wife of the relative said to the śrāmaṇera: 'You are now returning; the road is distant and full of needs. You may take these coins to trade for what you need.' The śrāmaṇera accepted them, tied them to the corner of his garment, and departed. Midway, the amanushya saw the śrāmaṇera carrying coins and walking behind the bhikṣu. Again transforming into a dragon, it came and circumambulated the śrāmaṇera to the left, poured dirt over him, and spoke these words: 'You have lost your good benefit! You left home to cultivate the Way, yet you walk along carrying coins.' The śrāmaṇera then wept. The bhikṣu looked back and asked the śrāmaṇera, 'Why are you weeping?' The śrāmaṇera said: 'I do not recall having any fault, yet for no reason I have been distressed.' His teacher said: 'Are you holding anything?' He answered: 'I have brought these coins.' The teacher said: 'Cast them away.' When he had cast them away, the amanushya again made offerings to him as before.

90.43

At that time, Mahāmaudgalyāyana and the śrāmaṇera Zhuantou went after their meal to the great Lake Anavatapta in Jambudvīpa to sit in meditation. At that time, the śrāmaṇera Zhuantou saw golden sand by the lakeside and had this thought: 'I should now take this sand and put it beneath the World-Honoured One's washbasin.' The Venerable Maudgalyāyana arose from meditation and, using his supernatural powers, rode through the void to return. At that time, the śrāmaṇera Zhuantou was held back by an amanushya and could not fly through the air. Maudgalyāyana turned back, saw him, and called for the śrāmaṇera to come. He replied: 'I am unable to go.' Maudgalyāyana asked: 'Are you holding anything?' He replied: 'I am holding this golden sand.' Maudgalyāyana said: 'You should cast it away.' After he cast it away, he immediately rode through the void and departed. Because of this cause and condition, they reported it fully to the World-Honoured One. The Buddha said: 'From this day forward, I do not permit śrāmaṇeras to touch gold, silver, or coins.'

90.44

Furthermore, the Sūtra of One Hundred Parables says: In the past, there was a foolish man who raised seven sons. One son died first. At that time, seeing that the son was already dead, this foolish man wished to leave him in his home and abandon him, going away himself. A bystander saw this and spoke to him, saying: 'The paths of life and death are different; you must quickly prepare him and take him far away.' At that time, hearing these words, the foolish man thought to himself: 'If he cannot be kept and must be buried, I need to kill one more son so that a load may be balanced on both ends of the carrying pole; only then can I manage to carry them.' Thereupon he killed another son, shouldered them, and carried them far away to be buried in the wild forest. When people of the time saw this, they laughed deeply in ridicule, marvelling at what was unprecedented. This is like a bhikṣu who secretly violates a precept, fears repentance in his mind, silently conceals it, and claims that he is pure. Or there may be a wise person who speaks to him, saying: 'A renunciant preserves and upholds the prohibitive precepts as if protecting a bright pearl, not letting it be chipped or lost. Why do you now violate what you have received and refuse to repent?' The precept-breaker says: 'If it is required to repent, I will commit another violation and then emerge [through confession] afterwards.' He then went on to commit more precept-violations, doing much evil, and only then suddenly emerged. Just as that foolish man, when one son had already died, killed yet another son, so too is this bhikṣu.

90.45

Furthermore, in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, the Buddha spoke in verse:

90.46

Do not treat minor evils lightly,
Thinking they bring no calamity;
Though a drop of water is tiny,
It gradually fills a great vessel.

90.47

Furthermore, the Sūtra of One Hundred Parables says: In the past, a king had a fine tree, extremely tall and wide, that was about to bear superior fruit, fragrant, sweet, and delicious. At that time, a man came to the king's place, and the king said to him: 'This tree will soon bear delicious fruit. Can you eat it?' He immediately answered the king: 'This tree is tall and wide; although I wish to eat it, by what means could I obtain it?' He then cut down the tree, hoping to obtain its fruit. Since he obtained nothing, his toil was in vain. Afterwards he wanted to stand the tree back up, but it had already withered and died, with no principle of life remaining. People of the world are also like this: the Tathāgata, the Dharma King, has the tree of upholding precepts and cultivating various merits; failing to understand expedient means, they conversely break his prohibitions. Just as with felling that tree and wishing to revive it, it is completely impossible. A person who breaks the precepts is also like this.

90.48

Furthermore, the Sūtra on Precepts Calming Disasters says: When the Buddha was in the world, the people of a certain county all practiced the five precepts and ten virtuous deeds, and there were no brewers of alcohol. Among them was the son of a prominent family who wished to travel far for commerce. As he was about to set out, his parents told him: 'Diligently uphold the five precepts and ten virtuous deeds; be careful not to drink alcohol and violate the Buddha's grave precept.' When he traveled to another state, he met an old classmate, who joyfully brought out grape wine and wished to drink together with him. He resolutely declined and would not drink, but the host was so earnest and insistent that he could not refuse, and followed him. Later, returning home, he confessed the matter from beginning to end. His parents reported to him: 'You violated our precept; this is the beginning of disordering the Dharma. You are not a filial son.' They then took the goods he had acquired and drove him out of the state. He went to another state and stayed at an inn. The host worshipped three ghosts and spirits who could take human form, eating and drinking face-to-face with people and talking with people. He had served them for years; his family wealth had become completely depleted, while his household was beset with illnesses, and deaths never ceased. They discussed this privately. The ghosts knew human thoughts, and the ghosts consulted together, saying: 'This man's property is exhausted, precisely on our account, yet we have never brought him any benefit. Now he has grown sick and tired of us; we ought to seek rare treasures to bestow upon him.' They then went and stole fine treasures from another king's storehouse, piling them in the garden. They informed him: 'You have served us for many years with great diligence and toil. We now wish to bless you and make you wealthy.' The host gladly entered the garden, saw the goods, carried them back to his house, gave thanks, and received the favour. The next day, he prepared a meal and invited them. The spirits arrived at the gate, saw the man from the state of Śrāvastī in the host's house, and immediately fled away. The host chased after them and called out: 'Since you have already come, why are you running away?' The spirits said: 'In your house there is an exalted guest; how could we approach?' Again they fled in alarm. The host reflected: 'In my house there is no other person, only this man.' He immediately went out, spoke to him respectfully, and then asked him: 'What merit do you possess? The spirits I worship feared you and fled.' The guest fully described the Buddha's merits. The host said: 'I wish to receive and uphold the five precepts.' He thereupon received the three refuges and the five precepts from the guest, focusing his mind on energetic practice, not daring to be indolent. He then asked where the Buddha was, and the guest replied that he was in Anāthapiṇḍada's park in the state of Śrāvastī. The host resolved with a single mind to go there. On his journey he passed through an inn, where there was an upright and handsome woman who was a man-eating demon's wife. His journey was long and distant, and as the day grew late, he asked the woman for lodging. The woman immediately informed him: 'Be careful not to stay here; you should hurry on.' The man thought to himself: 'That previous man from Śrāvastī only maintained four precepts of the Buddha, yet my spirits still feared him. I have already received the three refuges and the five precepts, and my mind is not indolent; what should I fear?' He thereupon stayed the night. At that time, the man-eating demon saw the majestic power of the guardian deities of the precepts, went forty li away from the inn, and did not return that night. The next day, going forward, he saw the scattered human bones of those eaten by the demon. In his heart he became terrified and regretful, and thought to himself: 'It would be better to take this woman back to my native land and live together as before.' He immediately turned back, and thereupon asked the woman again for lodging. The woman said to the man: 'Why must you return?' He replied: 'My travel plans did not succeed, so I have simply returned.' He asked to lodge for another night. The woman said: 'You will die! My husband is a man-eating demon; he will arrive shortly. You should leave quickly.' This man did not believe her, stayed and did not leave; further confused by lustful desires, he again gave rise to disbelief, no longer believing in the Buddha's three refuges and five precepts. The heavenly spirits immediately departed, and the demon was able to return. Fearing that he would eat this man, the woman hid him in a jar. The demon smelled the human scent and said to his wife: 'Did you get meat? I want to eat it.' The woman said: 'I did not go out; where would I get meat from?' The woman asked the demon: 'Why did you not return yesterday?' The demon said: 'Because of what you did—lodging an exalted guest in the house, which caused me to be driven away.' The man in the jar became all the more terrified. The woman said: 'Why did you not get meat?' The demon said: 'Only because your house lodged a disciple of the Buddha; the heavenly spirits drove me forty li away, where I slept in the open, terrified, and even now I am uneasy; therefore I did not get meat.' The woman then asked her husband: 'What are the Buddha's precepts like?' The demon said: 'I am extremely hungry and pressed for food; bring the meat! You need not ask about this. These are the unsurpassed, truly genuine precepts; I dare not speak of them.' The woman said: 'Just tell them to me, and I will give you meat.' The demon thereupon explained the three refuges and the five precepts for her. As soon as the demon spoke the first precept, the woman received it; by the fifth precept, she held it in her mind and recited it with her mouth. Inside the jar, the man recognized the five precepts and received them along with her. Śakra, lord of the gods, knew that these two people had taken refuge in the Buddha from their hearts, and immediately selected fifty good spirits to protect them both. The demon thereupon fled away. When the next day came, the woman asked the man: 'Were you afraid?' He replied: 'I was greatly afraid; thanks to your kindness, my mind awakened and recognized the Buddha.' The woman said: 'Why did you return?' He replied: 'I saw the bones of the newly and formerly dead lying crisscross, and returned out of fear.' The woman said: 'Those bones were discarded by me. I was originally the daughter of a respectable family, abducted by the demon to become his wife. In sorrow and destitution I had no one to appeal to. Now, receiving your kindness, I was able to hear the Buddha's precepts and be separated from this demon.' Later, returning along the road, they met four hundred and ninety-eight people, and together went to the Buddha's place. With focused minds they listened to the sutra; their minds opened and understood, and they all became śramaṇas and attained the fruit of arhatship. However, these two people had been the teachers of the four hundred and ninety-eight people in past lives. When people seek the Way, they must certainly find their original teacher and their good friends; only then will they attain liberation.

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法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese