法苑珠林 99
English (machine translation) 99
- Language
- English
99.1
Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple
99.2
Section 99: Miscellaneous Essentials (containing ten parts)
99.3
Part on Stating the Purpose
Part on the Four Reliances
Part on the Four Fruits
Part on the Four Foods
Part on Purifying the Mouth
Part on Striking the Bell
Part on Entering the Assembly
Part on Seeking the Dharma
Part on Marks of Decline
Part on Miscellaneous Practices
99.4
Part 1: Stating the Purpose
99.5
Now, the spiritual principle has no sound, but relies on words and speech to express meaning. Words and speech have no physical trace, but rely on writing to delineate sounds. Thus, characters are the snare for words, and words are the trap for principle. Sound and sense corresponding, neither can be missing. Therefore, the practical application of writing encompasses the universe; though traces proliferate in brush and ink, the principle harmonises with the spirit. However, because the sūtras and treatises are vast and extensive, recording them completely is hard to encompass; historical records and accounts are varied and copious, and the events have both detailed and abridged versions. Therefore, to guide the many regions and instruct later scholars, the conditions and traces for establishing the teachings are luminously complete, and the sources of matters for instructing worldly customs are abundantly present. Searching through regulations and articles, and summarising the essentials, I have compiled them with paper and brush, fully laying them out in the preceding chapters. As for other miscellaneous duties for guiding and helping the worldly that can be put into practice at present, I record them below, hoping that ignorance may gradually be eliminated and the lamp of the Dharma may shine far and wide.
99.6
Part 2: The Four Reliances
99.7
Now, when faculties are dull and the times are corrupt, firm faith is difficult to possess fully; when practice is shallow and virtue inferior, correct wisdom is easily lost. It is necessary that capacity and teaching correspond, and that text and principle be thoroughly provided. Thus a sūtra says: 'Though one recites a thousand passages, if one does not practise them, what benefit is there?' Now, in establishing the correct doctrine, one must rely on the central import. Teachings have the provisional and the real; practices have the obscured and the bright. Thus, when the moon is seen, the finger is forgotten of itself; when the meaning is grasped, words cease of themselves. How could one think that upon gaining entry to the Way, one would still remain attached and blocked? Therefore, sūtras explain that the four reliances are divided into three categories. The first is reliance on persons: namely, the great beings of the four reliances, referring to those from the initial worthy up to the ultimate sage; the person is aided by the outflow-free, and the nature of the Dharma-substance is empty. Based on relying upon them, the sages are free from perversion. The second is reliance on practices: namely, begging for food, wearing rag-robes, dhūta, araṇya, and sitting beneath trees. The third is reliance on the Dharma: as fully explained below. Establishing these three dharmas forms a mirror for the final age, truly serving as the ancestral master of all practices. When the Great Sage spoke words, none were ever uttered in vain; acting according to the teaching is wholly correct and not deviant. The first two [kinds of] four reliances are not for common application today; they are appended to a separate chapter, and here I shall explain the reliance on the Dharma. Testing to know the deviant and the correct relies solely on formlessness; even for the Buddha of wondrous marks, forms of Māra can still cause delusion—how much more so for sentient ordinary beings: can they be free from confusion? Therefore, the reliance on the Dharma is established to serve as a definitive standard.
99.8
First: 'Rely on the Dharma and not on the person.' Persons exist only through emotional defilement, whereas the Dharma is the model. The correct principle of empty nature in its substance is free from falsehood. One takes this Dharma as the reliance of the saddharma. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, as the ultimate teaching, fully clarifies this path. Those who engage in practice nowadays falsely set forth things according to their emotions, mostly abandoning the Dharma to follow persons. Setting up rules based on persons leads to betraying the testament [of the Buddha] and drowning body and mind. If one can turn away from such worldly minds and rely upon the authority of the sage, concealing the mind in conduct of duties and knowing that wrongs are empty of nature, taking this mind as the path: one part of knowing wrongs clearly accords with the principle of emptiness; one part of distasteful contemplation clearly opposes substantial phenomena. Calming the mind in this way is called cultivating the true path leading to the Dharma-nature.
99.9
Second: 'Rely on the meaning and not on the words.' Words are verbal speech, which is precisely setting up the fish trap; meaning is arriving at principle, the way of transforming beings. After direct realisation and comprehension, thoughts are cut off and speech is halted. If even the Dharma should be relinquished, how much more so what is not the Dharma? Therefore, the sūtra contains the parable of abandoning the raft, and people cherish discussions where [the truth] is seen at a glance. Do not fail to grasp the meaning beyond the snare of words; having grasped the meaning, cease speech. When the finger pointing to the moon is understood, there is nothing that should not be comprehended. What is now called 'grasping the meaning' is merely reciting words. True practitioners of the Way constantly contemplate and constantly deconstruct: constantly contemplating relies on words, and constantly deconstructing accords with the meaning. Saying that words accord with the meaning is still merely reciting words. It is only because of beginningless false habits that stubborn attachments are firmly set. Only through quiet withdrawal and detailed investigation does one come to recognise this fault. Otherwise, rushing about and pursuing sounds will fall short. This too should be contemplated.
99.10
Third: 'Rely on wisdom and not on consciousness.' Consciousness in its active operation discriminates in accordance with sense-objects; eyes addicted to form and ears to sound, infatuated without awareness, it is equal in measure to cattle and sheep and acts in common with deviant ordinary mortals. The Great Sage pointed out and taught that the objective realm is one's own mind, while the utterly foolish are rigidly attached, [holding that] sense-objects are outside consciousness. Therefore, teaching and guiding them has no avenue; abandoning it is knowledge, but remaining stagnant belongs to ordinary consciousness. Inverting and repelling the sage's mind, the foolish and deluded tread along, constantly sinking into the three inversions. For those who are vigorous and exceptionally perceptive, the moment a thought stirs they recognise it; this is called relying on consciousness. Knowing that the flow must be reversed is called wisdom according to one's capacity. By exerting effort in this way, clarity and greatness gradually increase. Later, seeing sense-objects, one knows they do not come from outside; the realm is not outside the mind, but is the aspect of one's own mind. How could there be foolish delusion generating aversion or generating attachment? Continually reflecting and selecting, understanding differs from cattle and sheep. Someone asks: 'You set forth such an argument, distinguishing wisdom from foolishness; how is it that one who achieves comprehensive contemplation is still called [one of] ordinary consciousness?' The answer is: Sages' wisdom is boundless; by accumulating emptiness, virtue is revealed. How could a single statement be considered pristine ascent? This is merely grasping the words and still being attached according to the words. Deeply know that this attachment is an imprint of beginningless habit; only through three asaṃkhyeya-kalpas without interruption can it be completely eliminated. Milk mixed with blood cannot be spoken of carelessly; the aspects of rising and falling lie precisely in this. As the sūtras say, on the first bhūmi one practises generosity, and the rest is cultivated according to capacity; high standards and rules are established to cause people to cultivate and learn. How could it be said that a single understanding can thoroughly exhaust wisdom? If wisdom could be exhausted, it could not be called superior and sublime. People nowadays orally recite emptiness while in their minds they have not forgotten existence; they cannot leap into the air, and entering fire is even harder: both are because they are trapped and deluded by mental aspects. When one later attains mastery, one transforms and employs things according to the mind; is it not like a bird soaring through the sky, naturally constant like asbestos cloth cleansed by fire? It is not to be wondered at.
99.11
Fourth: 'Rely on sūtras of definitive meaning and not on sūtras of provisional meaning.' Both of these sūtras are authorities of sage words. All who enter the Way should understand them first of all; then nothing will fail to be penetrated, and all doubts will be resolved. However, the natures and consciousnesses of living beings differ in depth and sharpness, causing the Great Sage to speak differently in accordance with their dispositions. Yet, based on the ultimate Way, it is solely one's own mind. Thus a sūtra says: 'The phenomena and meanings above and below in the tridhātu are mind only.' This clarifies the mind in terms of the world's dependent retribution. It also says: 'Tathatā and the reality-limit, nirvāṇa and the dharmadhātu, the various mind-made bodies—the Buddha declares them to be mind-only.' This clarifies the mind in terms of the substance of supramundane dharmas. Ultimately reaching the supreme reality, one completely arrives at this source. Following the flow and responding to resonance, one still returns to the definitive meaning as the principal; therefore, the Dharma is used to determine provisional capacities.
99.12
As the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra says: 'Furthermore, Śāriputra, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva has four dharmas of reliance that are also inexhaustible. What are the four? Rely on the meaning and not on the words; rely on wisdom and not on consciousness; rely on sūtras of definitive meaning and not on sūtras of provisional meaning; rely on the Dharma and not on the person. What is relying on the meaning and not on the words?
99.13
Words
99.14
What is 'relying on sūtras of definitive meaning and not on sūtras of provisional meaning'? Sūtras of provisional meaning make distinctions regarding cultivating the path; sūtras of definitive meaning do not make distinctions regarding the fruit. Sūtras of provisional meaning teach: 'Whatever karma one performs, believe that there will be retribution'; sūtras of definitive meaning exhaust all afflictions. Sūtras of provisional meaning rebuke all afflictions; sūtras of definitive meaning praise the pure white dharmas. Sūtras of provisional meaning speak of the suffering and distress of saṃsāra; sūtras of definitive meaning teach that saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are of one characteristic, without duality. Sūtras of provisional meaning praise and speak of diverse ornate letters; sūtras of definitive meaning speak of profound sūtras, difficult to uphold and difficult to comprehend. Sūtras of provisional meaning largely speak to sentient beings about the marks of sin and merit, causing those who hear the Dharma to produce feelings of joy and sorrow in their minds; whenever sūtras of definitive meaning expound [the Dharma], they unfailingly bring about the subduing of the listener's mind. Sūtras of provisional meaning speak as if there were a self, a person, or sentient beings, yet [assert] there is no giver or receiver, while speaking to others of givers and receivers; sūtras of definitive meaning speak of emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and unconditionedness, with no self, no person, no sentient beings, no agent, and no recipient, constantly expounding the immeasurable gates of liberation. This is called relying on sūtras of definitive meaning and not on sūtras of provisional meaning. What is 'relying on the Dharma and not relying on the person'? 'Person' means grasping onto the view of a person, an agent, and a recipient; 'Dharma' means understanding that there is no view of a person, no agent, and no recipient. 'Person' refers to ordinary people, good persons, those who follow by faith, the eight persons [of the path], the four persons of the fruits, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas. When a single person appears in the world, they bring great benefit, many beings experience happiness, and, taking pity on the world, they produce great compassion, bestowing abundant enrichment upon humans and gods—namely, the Buddhas and such. It is on the basis of conventional truth, in order to transform sentient beings, that such things are spoken. If someone grasps onto such a view, that is called relying on a person. The Tathāgata, in order to transform those who hold to the view of a person, taught relying on the Dharma and not on the person. All things are equal and without difference in nature, just like empty space. If one relies upon this dharmatā, one will never again depart from the Dharma of a single characteristic, having the same dharmatā. Therefore it is said: rely on all dharmas and do not rely on the person. Śāriputra, these are called the four inexhaustible reliances of the bodhisattva mahāsattva.
99.15
Section 3: The Four Fruits
99.16
As the Xiuxing daodi jing states: That practitioner, having attained the first fruit of stream-entry, knows that all five desires ultimately return to impermanence, yet cannot completely eliminate them. Why is this? Because upon seeing sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and fine tactile objects, thoughts arise, and therefore passionate desires are stirred and cannot yet be severed. It is like a brāhmaṇa who delights in purity and cleanliness; having gone behind an outhouse, he accidentally defiles his finger. Walking to a goldsmith, he says: 'My finger has been defiled with impurity. Burn it with fire!' The goldsmith admonishes him, saying: 'Do not have such an intention! There are other expedients to remove this impurity: wipe it with ashes and earth, wash it with water. If I burn it with fire, you will not be able to bear it; the burning pain of fire striking your body will be far worse than before.' Hearing this, the brāhmaṇa's son became filled with anger and scolded the goldsmith: 'Do not measure others with your own mind! Just because you cannot bear it yourself, you say others cannot endure it. I have no use for a hand that has filth upon it. I dare not walk on the road, fearing that someone will touch me; if I were to approach them, I would lose my moral virtue. Among worldly arts and techniques, astronomy, and geography, there is no classic or record I do not know. Why should impurity cling to my finger? Do not delay; follow my words and remove the filth on this finger!' Hearing this, the goldsmith heated his tongs until glowing red and clamped his finger with them. Feeling the searing pain, the brāhmaṇa could not endure it and jerked his finger, putting it into his mouth. The goldsmith laughed heartily and said to the youth: 'You praised yourself as clever, erudite, gathering the ancient and knowing the present, with nothing you have not mastered, pure and spotless. Yet now you have no self-control, holding an impure finger inside your mouth! You should know that being rash and frivolous is not enough to make one a master.' The brāhmaṇa replied: 'When I was not encountering the pain, I saw the finger's impurity; as soon as I met with the fiery venom, I instantly forgot the filth of the finger.' Seeking the path is just like this: through the long night one cultivates detachment from passionate desire, yet as soon as one sees a beautiful form, lustful intentions stir again. Why is this? The sense faculties are not yet restrained, the outflows are not yet exhausted, the roots of error are not yet eradicated, right concentration has not yet arisen, past attachments are not eliminated, and defiled desires arise again. Thereupon the verses say:
99.17
"Because of seeing form, lust seeks what was habitual;
Though one may understand the doctrine and reach the path of stream-entry,
Wearing a thought-flower upon the head, one still smells the fragrance;
Like a river flowing to the sea, the intention for desire is just so."
99.18
Regarding the second path-trace, the sakṛdāgāmin: He reflects to himself: 'My body should not indulge in this lust like ordinary people.' Speaking of the defilement of sensual passions, he delights in desirelessness, day and night observing and practicing the contemplation of impurity. With lust, anger, and delusion diminished, he attains the path of once-returning, returning to the world once more to sever the source of toil and suffering. Having attained once-returning, his purity arises without the stirring of desires; lust, anger, and delusion are thinned, yet in his mind they are not constantly severed, so there are still afflictions. For example, a man has a wife whose face is upright and flawless, her body adorned with various necklaces of gems. The husband deeply loves and respects her. Although she has such beauty, she is nevertheless a lustful demon, not a real human, and takes only human flesh and blood as her food and drink. Someone tells the husband: 'Your wife is a rākṣasī who eats flesh and blood.' The husband does not believe the person, though he is told repeatedly. The husband's mind eventually grows suspicious, and he wishes to test her. Lying down at night, he lets out snoring sounds as if asleep. The wife, assuming he is sound asleep, secretly gets up, leaves the city, and goes to the cemetery. The husband follows behind her and sees his wife take off her clothes and all her jewel ornaments, setting them aside. Her facial complexion turns hideous, long fangs emerge from her mouth, flames blaze upon her head, and her eyes are red as fire, exceedingly terrifying. Approaching a corpse, she tears its flesh with her hands and bites and eats it with her mouth. Seeing this, the husband only then knows she is not a human but a demon. He quickly returns home and lies down upon the bed. The wife immediately returns, comes to her husband's bed, and lies down again as before. When the husband sees his wife adorned with gem necklaces and her facial complexion upright and beautiful, he again draws close to her. Even if he recalls her in the cemetery devouring corpses, and though his mind is disgusted and harbors terror, when he turns his mind to look at his wife, lustful desire arises again. The sakṛdāgāmin who has attained the path of once-returning is just like this: if he sees an external form that is upright and lovely, lustful intentions stir again; if he speaks of the impurities and filthy defects, lustful intentions are extinguished at once. Thereupon the verses say:
99.19
"Transforming her human body as though shedding armor,
Assuming the form of a lustful demon, she goes to the cemetery,
Devouring corpses just like eating and drinking;
Only then does the husband realize she is a rākṣasī."
99.20
Regarding the third path-trace, the anāgāmin: Having attained non-returning, he sees those who previously attained once-returning, and reflects in his mind: 'My three fetters in the desire realm have already become thin, and the remainder is slight. Looking back at the noble truths, I see the flaws of desire and craving, which bring much suffering and little peace. I should not indulge in desire like the common crowd; fixing one's intent on sensual passions is like a bluebottle fly clinging to a corpse. Why should I not eliminate them, so that lust, anger, and delusion may be extinguished without remainder, and having attained the dhyāna of exhausted outflows, only then find peace and tranquility?' It is like a person in the height of summer who cannot bear the heat: he seeks a fan to fan himself and yearns for water to bathe. Once-returning is like this: seeing lust, anger, and delusion as intense heat, one resolves to seek non-returning. Thereupon, practicing the contemplation of foulness, one forever escapes lust for forms as well as anger and delusion, truly seeing the arising and ceasing from which the five aggregates come, taking complete cessation as absorption. Having such knowledge and vision, one severs the five fetters and is free from the hindrances of the aggregates, attaining the path of non-returning. With the fruit of anāgāmin, one does not fall back and return to the world; having escaped craving and desire, one is without obstructions. The peril of the lustful demon gives way to coolness, free from all heat. If one beholds the desires of form, one constantly sees their impurity, and thus knows their flaws and filth. For example, some merchants arrive from afar, each extremely exhausted. It happens to be the twenty-ninth day of the month, a dark night without a moon. At midnight they arrive at the city gates, but the gates are closed and not opened. Circling to the south wall, there is a pool of accumulated rainwater. Corpses, chickens, dogs, and mixed kinds of worms—some alive, some dead, some sinking, some floating, hundreds of thousands of myriads of them—are leaping and disporting in it; furthermore, the sweeping filth, dung, hair, and excrement of the city are all discarded into the water. These people, travelers from afar, have never arrived there before and do not know good from bad. Weary, hungry, and thirsty, they drink of it freely, and, suffering from heat and exhaustion, they strip off their clothes to bathe. Feeling their bodies relieved of fatigue, they lie down peacefully and happily. When day breaks, having recovered from fatigue and awakened, they go again to the pool intending to draw water for use. Seeing that the water is impure and extraordinarily foul, some abandon it and run away, some close their eyes, some block their noses, and some vomit. Thereupon the verses say:
99.21
"Like the water beside the city,
Where all kinds of impurities dwell;
Coming from afar and finding the gates closed,
They stop together at this pool.
When first arriving, they do not perceive it;
Hungry and thirsty, they draw and drink,
And bathe to remove heat and exhaustion;
Extremely tired, they fall asleep.
At dawn they go to the water's edge,
And looking carefully, know it is impure;
All together they loathe and abhor it,
Each harboring the urge to vomit.
Having attained the third path,
One sees that the pleasures of desire are unsafe;
Entering dhyāna-concentration, there is no peril,
Viewing desires like flawed water."
99.22
At that time, when cultivating the path, the anāgāmin takes joy in dhyāna-concentration and diminishes craving and desire, just like those merchants who loathe the impure water. It is also like an infant foolishly playing with filth; as he gradually grows older, he abandons his former play and takes joy in other things, until in old age he completely abandons his former ways and amuses himself with the Dharma. Having attained the path of non-returning, it is also like this: seeing the pleasures of the five destinies of saṃsāra as being like children's play, he becomes increasingly vigorous, wishing to escape the beginning and end [of rebirth], taking no joy in seeking life. Thereupon the verses say:
99.23
"Just as there is a small child
Playing with filth on the ground;
As his years advance and he grows up,
He abandons play and takes joy in other things.
The practitioner is also like this,
Seeking protection to cross over the three realms;
At that time, he becomes vigorous,
Fully accomplishing the four paths."
99.24
Regarding the fourth, the arhat of no-more-learning: When cultivating the path, because he was on the stage of training, he took no pleasure in the beginning and end [of rebirth], having no pleasure at all. He does not crave the three realms; he has severed all fetters, and the three poisons are forever eliminated. With his intent focused on the faculties, the powers, and the factors of awakening, he regards cessation as tranquility. For example, a king unleashes an intoxicated elephant with sharp, ferocious tusks: anyone who encounters it dies. It is also like a poisonous dragon constantly spewing venomous breath: anyone who meets it perishes. It is also like a viper constantly harboring venomous wrath: anyone who touches it is harmed. The afflictions of the three poisons are also like this: whenever they are stirred and touched, they harm all and cast them down into the three realms; only the ten powers, the factors of awakening, and liberations can eliminate and sever them, while nothing else can. The practitioner reflects to himself: 'Now at this time, I have already become an arhat, attained non-attachment, forever exhausted all outflows, cultivated pure conduct, done what was to be done, laid down the heavy burden, attained my own benefit, severed birth and death, obtained equal wisdom, accomplished the dharmas of no-more-learning, and crossed over self and other.' Thereupon the verses say:
99.25
"When the king unleashes the drunken elephant,
Ferocious and destructive, with tusks exceedingly sharp,
Or dragons and snakes harboring poison,
All who encounter them must die.
He transforms and subdues them all,
Returning to collect his mind well;
All perils are exhausted without remainder,
With no fear in the three realms.
The practitioner abides in the stage of training,
Unmoving, accomplishing the noble path;
Having attained his own benefit,
Transcending suffering, he always gains peace.
Having severed the five grades,
He fully accomplishes the six superknowledges;
Cleansing all defilements of toil,
Like water washing away dirt from clothing.
This is called an upright person,
According with the Buddha's noble teachings;
Supreme, without defilement or dust,
Therefore it is called the stage of no-more-learning."
99.26
Section 4: The Four Foods
99.27
As the Ekottarika-āgama says: At that time, the World-Honoured One told the monks, "There are four kinds of nutriment that nourish sentient beings. What are the four? Namely, coarse material nutriment (kavaḍīkārāhāra), whether large or small; contact nutriment (sparśāhāra); volitional nutriment (manosañcetanāhāra); and consciousness nutriment (vijñānāhāra). These are called the four nutriments. What is coarse material nutriment? It refers to that which is eaten by humans today, whatever enters the mouth and can be consumed; this is called coarse material nutriment. What is contact nutriment? It refers to clothing, parasols, mixed fragrant flowers, incense, fire, and perfumed oil, as well as associating with women, and all other things experienced by the body with pleasure; this is called contact nutriment. What is volitional nutriment? It refers to what is recollected, thought, and deliberated in the mind, or spoken with the mouth, or physically touched, as well as the teachings one upholds; this is called volitional nutriment. What is consciousness nutriment? It refers to what is known by consciousness; beginning with the Brahmā heavens up to the Heaven of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception, they take consciousness as nutriment; this is called consciousness nutriment. Sentient beings transmigrate through birth and death on account of these four nutriments."
99.28
The Ekottarika-āgama also says: The World-Honoured One told Aniruddha, "All phenomena persist on account of nutriment. The eye takes sleep as nutriment; the ear takes sound as nutriment; the nose takes fragrance as nutriment; the tongue takes flavor as nutriment; the body takes softness and smoothness as nutriment; the mind takes phenomena (dharmas) as nutriment; and nirvāṇa takes heedfulness (apramāda) as nutriment."
99.29
At that time, the Buddha told the monks, "Regarding such sublime Dharma, contemplating nutriment comprises nine matters. In the human realm there are four nutriments: first, coarse material nutriment; second, contact nutriment; third, volitional nutriment; and fourth, consciousness nutriment. Furthermore, there are five kinds which are supramundane nutriments: first, meditation nutriment (dhyānāhāra); second, aspiration nutriment (praṇidhānāhāra); third, mindfulness nutriment (smṛtyāhāra); fourth, the eight-liberations nutriment (aṣṭavimokṣāhāra); and fifth, joy nutriment (prītyāhāra). These are the tokens of the supramundane. You should together focus your mindfulness on relinquishing and eliminating the four kinds of [mundane] nutriment and seek to realize the supramundane nutriments."
99.30
The Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra also says: "If there is a sentient being who, with a mind of faith and a mind of compassion, gives various kinds of food to others, upon the end of their life they will be born in the Citraratha Heaven to experience various pleasures. When their life there ends, they will obtain a human body, greatly rich in abundance of wealth, and constantly practice the Saddharma."
99.31
The Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra also says: "If there is a sentient being who sees the sick and gives them medicinal broths to free them from the suffering of illness, upon the end of their life they will be born in the heavens of the desire realm to enjoy the pleasures of the five desires. When their life in heaven ends, if they obtain a human body, they will be greatly rich with abundant wealth. If one sees a sick person facing death who suffers from thirst and gives them rock-sugar syrup or ice water, this person, upon the end of their life, will be born in the Heaven of Cool Purity to enjoy heavenly bliss. When their life in heaven ends, they will obtain a human body and be constantly free from hunger and thirst."
99.32
The Mahīśāsaka-vinaya also says: "If the person on monthly duty supervising food wishes to know whether it is raw or cooked, salty or sour, they may hold it in the palm of their hand and taste it with their tongue." (The *Qifa jing* does not permit tasting with the mouth because doing so with an unwholesome or greedy mind is an offense.)
99.33
Section 5: Purifying the Mouth
99.34
As the Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya says: How does one rinse the mouth? The Buddha said: "Put water into the mouth and swish it around three times. This is called the method of purifying the mouth."
99.35
The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya also says: At that time, when the World-Honoured One was teaching the Dharma to a great assembly, there was a monk with bad breath who stayed downwind. The Buddha, knowing this, purposefully asked, "Why is this monk sitting alone?" He replied, "World-Honoured One, the precepts prohibit chewing tooth-wood; therefore my mouth smells foul. Fearing to offend people with the stench, I stay downwind." The Buddha said, "I allow the use of tooth-wood. At most it should be sixteen finger-breadths long, and at least four finger-breadths or more. When chewing it, one should be in a secluded place and first wash one's hands clean. After chewing, wash it with water and discard it. When chewing, one must not swallow it. If a physician says that swallowing is required to cure an illness, it is permitted. If one has no teeth, one should use ash, saline soil, crushed brick, sandstone, grass, or wood to wash the mouth. Having eaten, or if water is to be served at the meal, there must be pure water; first wash the hand vessels and only then serve the water. If one's hands are soiled, one should hold it using leaves underneath. When drinking with the mouth, one must not submerge the lips or let the vessel touch the forehead; one should touch the lips to it and drink. When drinking, one must not drink it entirely; one should leave a little, rinse and swish it, and discard it from where the mouth touched. The person serving water must take good care of the pure vessels. If they see that someone has submerged their lips or touched their forehead, they must place the vessel in a separate spot and mark it with grass to let people know it is impure. If one serves untimely beverages, it is also according to the previous method."
99.36
The Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya also says: "When monks rise in the morning, they should wash their hands thoroughly clean. They must not merely wash the five fingers cursorily, nor must they wash all the way up to the armpits; they should wash cleanly up to the wrists. They must not wash roughly, nor rub so hard as to cause bleeding. They should wash their hands with pulverized juma grass or ash and earth (or bath powder and soap-pods), rubbing until it makes a sound. If, after washing the hands clean, one rubs them together again, it is termed impure, and one should wash the hands again. Before eating, a monk must guard his hands. If he touches his head or grasps his robes, he must wash them again. (If this is so for monks, it is likewise for laypeople.) The same standard applies when reading sūtras, receiving food, and the like. If hand cleanliness is treated with such care, how much more so for those who kill living beings with their hands, drinking blood and devouring flesh to defile their body and mouth! Even if they wish to transmit the Dharma, their minds will likewise not be pure."
99.37
The Dharmaguptaka-vinaya also says: At that time, the monks were troubled by a foul smell inside the room. The Buddha said, "You should sprinkle and sweep. If it is still foul, plaster it with fragrant clay. If it is foul again, you should hang incense in the four corners of the room."
99.38
The Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya also says: At that time, there was a monk who did not chew a willow twig and his breath smelled foul. He reported this to the Buddha. The Buddha said, "I permit chewing willow twigs. There are five benefits: first, the mouth is not bitter; second, the mouth does not smell foul; third, it removes wind disorders; fourth, it removes heat illnesses; and fifth, it removes phlegm-fluid disorders. There are also another five benefits: first, it removes wind; second, it removes heat; third, it distinguishes flavors; fourth, one is able to eat; and fifth, the eyes are clear."
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The Dharmaguptaka-vinaya also says: "Not chewing a willow twig has five faults: first, the breath smells foul; second, one cannot distinguish tastes well; third, illnesses of heat and phlegm do not disperse; fourth, it does not stimulate appetite; and fifth, the eyes are not clear."
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The Mahīśāsaka-vinaya also says: "After chewing, one should wash it and discard it, out of fear that insects might eat it and die." The *Sanqian weiyi* also says: "In using a willow twig there are five rules: first, cutting it must conform to the measure; second, splitting it must conform to the rule; third, the chewed end must not exceed three-tenths [of the twig]; fourth, combing the teeth must hit the middle three teeth; and fifth, one should wash with the juice and use it for oneself."
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"Scraping the tongue has five rules: first, it must not exceed three times; second, if blood appears on the tongue, one must stop; third, one must not vigorously shake one's hands so as to soil the saṃghāṭī robe or one's feet; fourth, do not discard the willow twig on a path where people walk; and fifth, it should be placed in a secluded spot."
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Section 6: Striking the Bell
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As the Fu fazang jing says: At that time there was a king named Kaniṣka. He was greedy, tyrannical, and unprincipled, repeatedly launching military campaigns and wearing out the people without knowing satiety. Seeking to rule the four seas, he garrisoned the frontiers, causing relatives to be separated. [His subjects thought,] 'When will such suffering ever cease? We should unite in mind to eliminate him together; only then will we find happiness.' Taking advantage of the king's illness and suffering, they smothered him with a quilt; people sat upon it, and in an instant his breath was cut off. Because he had listened to the monk Aśvaghoṣa preach the Dharma, he was reborn in the great ocean as a thousand-headed fish. A wheel of swords circled and severed his heads, but as soon as they were cut off they grew again and were severed once more in succession; this rotated unceasingly to an immeasurable extent, and within an instant heads filled the great ocean. At that time, an arhat was serving as the monastic karmadāna. The king addressed him, saying, 'Now, whenever this wheel of swords hears the sound of the ghaṇṭā, it immediately halts, and during that interval my pain briefly ceases. I only pray that the Venerable One will take pity and show compassion: if you strike the ghaṇṭā, prolong it for a long time.' Out of pity, the arhat struck it for an extended duration. After seven days had passed, his suffering was ended. At this monastery, because of that king, the practice of striking the ghaṇṭā for a long duration was passed down in succession, and even down to the present day it remains as it was originally."
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The author remarks: Now that we know the intention of the sūtra, striking the bell relieves suffering and also gathers the assembly. Therefore, when the karmadāna is about to strike the bell, he should compose his demeanor, join his palms, and bring forth the wish to benefit living beings. By contemplating goodness on account of the bell, their suffering will come to an end.
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The Ekottarika-āgama also says: "When striking the bell, make the vow: 'May all the sufferings of the evil destinies entirely cease!' If one hears the sound of the bell and recites gāthās of praise, one can eliminate the grave sins of birth and death for fifty billion kalpas."
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Subduing the power and enmity of Māra,
Eliminating all fetters without remainder,
Striking the ghaṇṭā in the open ground,
The monks hearing it should assemble.
All who wish to hear the Dharma,
To cross over the flowing ocean of birth and death,
Hearing this wondrous and resonant sound,
Should all come and assemble here.
99.47
According to verses from another sūtra:
99.48
Hearing the bell yet lying down and not rising,
The good deities guarding the stūpa will become angry.
In the present life one's conditions and fruits will be meager;
As future retribution one will receive a serpent's body.
Wherever the sound of the bell is heard,
Those lying down must arise,
Join their palms, and generate a good mind;
Then the worthy and noble ones will all rejoice.
The great bell resonates, awakening the multitude of beings;
Its sound pervades the immeasurable lands of the ten directions.
All sentient beings hear and know it universally,
Uprooting the suffering of sentient beings' long night.
The six consciousnesses are ever muddled in suffering through the long night;
Covered by ignorance, the sentiments have long been deluded.
Day and night hearing the bell, they awaken to realization,
Soothing the spirit in pure lands to attain spiritual penetrations.
99.49
According to Vinaya Master Xuan's *Zhuchi ganying ji*: Inside the Vinaya Precepts Courtyard of Jetavana Temple there was a bronze bell weighing three hundred thousand catties. The Four Heavenly Kings had jointly made it, intending to assemble the noble multitude of the great chiliocosm. Maudgalyāyana struck it with his spiritual power, and its sound resonated far and wide. The platform was seventy feet high. The shape of the bell was like those of the Wu region. On its four sides were many images of the sun, moon, stars, constellations, mountains, streams, rivers, and seas, along with representations of peck measures, bushel measures, scales, and rulers. When struck by Maudgalyāyana, according to whatever was signified, a sound came forth to announce it. When struck by ordinary monks, it only produced a sound and nothing more. Inside its Ordination Platform Courtyard there was another great bell; the platform was four hundred feet high. Upon it was a gold bell weighing one hundred thousand catties, shaped like a cup. Upon it were images of a thousand cakravartins, each accompanied by their thousand sons, all completely depicted. There were also nine dragons, waters of the eight virtues, and various adorned features. This great bell was made by a cakravartin at the beginning of the kalpa. When noble persons received the precepts, those who had already attained spiritual penetrations would strike it, its sound shaking the three thousand [worlds]; all noble persons who heard it realized the fruit [of arhatship], and those in the evil destinies who heard it remembered their past lives. Jetavana had a separate Courtyard of the Masters of the Treatises, where there was a bronze bell shaped like an hourglass drum, which had been made by the king of the gandharvas. Upon it were images of King Brahmā, Śakra, King Māra, the Four Heavenly Kings, the eight classes of beings, and men. If non-Buddhist masters of other teachings wished to come and challenge in debate, an arhat of spiritual penetrations would be sent to strike it. Its sound shook the three thousand [worlds]. When the non-Buddhists were about to debate, upon hearing this bell sound, their faculties became dull and muted, and none dared speak. If someone came with a good mind to resolve doubts, hearing this bell sound caused bodhi to unfold and they attained non-retrogression.
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There was also another courtyard called the Sūtra Courtyard. It had a stone bell shaped in the style of Wu, like blue-green jade, which could hold ten bushels. On its suspension lug were images of the Thirty-three Heavens, and its four sides were embossed in gold and silver. On the east and west sides were large precious jewels inset into its belly, as large as five pints, with eight facets radiating light, shaped like flowers. All around it were images of the Buddhas of the ten directions when they first attained awakening. When the sun first rose, transformed Buddhas upon the bell would expound the twelve divisions of scriptures. Young boys and girls from the city of Śrāvastī all came to listen to it, and hearing the Dharma, they realized sagehood. Those who had violated desire could not hear the Dharma. The great general Maṇi struck it with a vajra pestle. Its sound reached across ten billion worlds; within the light, all could hear hundreds of thousands of Śākyamuni Buddhas preaching the sūtras. This bell had been made by Krakucchanda Buddha. After that Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the dragon king Sāgara took it away. When Śākyamuni Buddha arose, the dragon brought it back again. When the Buddha was about to pass into extinction, the bell first proclaimed, 'After three months he shall attain parinirvāṇa.' Hearing this, the devas on the suspension lug all wept. Afterwards, the dragon took it away.
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In front of Ānanda's room there was also a bronze chime (qìng) that could hold five pints. Around the four sides of the chime were engraved texts of past Buddhas instructing their disciples. On its suspension lug, purple-polished gold formed the shape of nine dragons, with a figure of a celestial standing on its back. When struck with a mallet, its sound shook the three thousand [worlds], and within the sound it also spoke the Dharma of the Buddhas' admonitions to their disciples. This chime was made by King Brahmā. When the Buddha entered extinction, the dragon king Sāgara also gathered it into his ocean palace.
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Section 7: Entering the Assembly
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As the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: Whenever one wishes to enter the saṃgha, one must possess five qualities. First, one should act with a mind of loving-kindness. Second, one should humble oneself like a dust cloth. Third, one should know the rules for sitting down and rising: if one sees a senior elder, one should not remain comfortably seated; if one sees a junior, one should not rise. Fourth, when arriving among that saṃgha, one must not engage in miscellaneous talk or speak of worldly affairs, whether speaking oneself or inviting others to speak. Fifth, if one sees displeasing matters in the saṃgha and one's mind cannot bear them with patience, one should abide in silence. Therefore the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: 'Because the noble disciples of the Buddha dwell in harmony, there are two kinds of practices: first, noble speech; second, noble silence.' (Nowadays, at vegetarian feasts, we see juniors arriving early and taking the finest seats. When they see senior elders and teachers arrive, they do not stand to receive them or defer their seats at all. The profundity of the Dharma’s decline is truly caused by such youths! Furthermore, we see them going to the homes of the noble and eminent, whether during recent bereavement and severe mourning, or when hosting a feast for the distant death anniversary of parents, the assembly of monks behaves licentiously and noisily, indulging in pleasure and disordering the community. How can they escape the worldly ridicule leveled against such eminent monks?) The Sūtra of Three Thousand Dignified Manners states: 'Whenever one wishes to mount a bed, one must possess seven rules: first, sit down on the bed slowly; second, one must not crawl up; third, one must not make the bed creak; fourth, one must not dust the bed vigorously so as to make noise; fifth, one must not click the tongue loudly, sigh, and brood over worldly affairs; sixth, one must not sleep huddled together like dogs; seventh, one must rise early according to the seasons.' The Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra states: 'If one sees sentient beings, one should console them with a joyful face, speaking first, looking directly with a gentle expression, with correct mindfulness present before oneself. If a bodhisattva knows that other sentient beings have actual merits, yet out of resentment does not speak of them to others, nor praises them, or when others praise them, does not say "Sadhu!", this is called a transgression against the community. Most such offenses are transgressions born of defilement.' The Liang translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha states: 'When a bodhisattva sees sentient beings, he should smile joyfully, speak first, and only then converse with them.'
99.54
The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya states: A person who lacks forbearance has five faults: first, he is violent and intolerant; second, he has later regrets; third, many people dislike him; fourth, evil repute spreads abroad; fifth, upon death he falls into the evil destinies.
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Section 8: Seeking the Dharma
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As the Ekottarāgama Sūtra states: If one does not accomplish six things, one cannot leave behind the dust, depart from defilement, and attain the purity of the Dharma eye. What are the six? First, not delighting in hearing [the Dharma]; second, although hearing the Dharma, not listening attentively; third, not seeking to understand it; fourth, having not yet attained the Dharma, not applying expedient means to diligently seek it; fifth, having attained the Dharma, not guarding it well; sixth, not accomplishing compliant forbearance. Reversing these six, one can leave behind the dust and defilement and attain the purity of the Dharma eye.
99.57
Furthermore, the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra states: There is no white-robed layperson who attains the Buddha path; one must possess the thirty-two marks, go forth from the household, don the Dharma robes, and be complete in dignified manners. The Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra states: Contentment arises in the present; having few desires arises in regard to the future life. Not taking a single coin in the present is difficult; not taking the position of a wheel-turning king in the future is easy. Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: Not giving rise to greed for wealth not yet obtained is called having few desires; not giving rise to greed for wealth already obtained is called contentment. Contentment concerns the present; having few desires concerns the future.
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Section 9: Signs of Decline
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As the Sūtra on the Distinctive Initial Supreme Dharma-Door of Dependent Origination states: The World-Honoured One declared: Old age has five kinds of decline: first, the decline of beard and hair, because their color alters and deteriorates; second, the decline of physical appearance, because form, complexion, skin, and physical strength all deteriorate; third, the decline of bodily actions, because in uttering words the breath ascends with panting becoming ever more rapid, the body trembles and shakes, when standing one bends stooped because the waist and spine have no strength, when sitting one droops low because the body is frail, when walking one must lean on a staff because the body is empty and weak, and whatever one contemplates, the intellect is dull and memory is confused; fourth, the decline of enjoyment, because enjoyment of present requisites becomes inferior, one can no longer enjoy any instruments of amusement, and regarding the sensory spheres traversed by the physical faculties, one cannot move swiftly and clearly, or cannot move at all; fifth, the decline of the life faculty, because one's lifespan is nearly exhausted and death is imminent, being unable to withstand even slight causes of death. The Āgama states: Graying hair has four causes and conditions: first, excess of fire; second, excess of worry; third, excess of illness; fourth, early seeding. A fair person becoming sick and emaciated has four causes and conditions: first, eating little; second, having worry; third, much sorrow; fourth, having illness. An untamed person has four things that do not tell someone beforehand: first, graying hair; second, old age; third, illness; fourth, death. These four things can neither be avoided nor repelled. All flavors do not exceed eight kinds: first, bitter; second, astringent; third, pungent; fourth, salty; fifth, bland; sixth, sweet; seventh, sour; eighth, indeterminate flavor.
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Section 10: Miscellaneous Practices
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The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya states: The monk Upananda was walking on the road, holding open a large round parasol. Householders saw him from afar, thought he was a king or a great minister, and stepped aside in fear. Looking closely, they realized he was a monk, and reported it to the Buddha. The Buddha said: 'A monk should not walk on the road carrying a parasol, nor should he hang one up. When it rains, it is permitted to make a parasol inside the monastery out of tree bark, leaves, or bamboo.' He also did not allow holding a king's large fan: 'If troubled by heat while walking, it is permitted to make a fan out of tree leaves and miscellaneous materials.' At that time, the monks were troubled by insects, grass, dust, and dew falling on their bodies. The Buddha said: 'It is permitted to make a whisk, whether from grass, tree bark and leaves, or thread, or scraps of cut silk.' At that time a monk obtained a horsetail whisk; the Buddha said: 'It is permitted to keep it.' At that time there were young monks who did not understand the timing of duties and confused the numbers; [the Buddha said:] 'It is permitted to use counting sticks to keep count.'
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- 法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese