諸經要集 5.28

5.28

如賢愚經云。若有檀越。於十六種。具足別請。雖獲福報。亦未為多。何謂十六。比丘比丘尼各有八輩。不如漫請四人。所得功德福多於彼。十六分中。未及其一。將來末世法欲垂盡。正使比丘畜妻挾子。四人已上。名字眾僧。應當敬如舍利弗目揵連等。爾時彌勒菩薩。問眾僧言。若有檀越。請一持戒清淨沙門就舍供養。所得盈利。何如有人得十萬錢。時憍陳如尋即說言。假使有人得百車珍寶。計其福利。不如請一淨戒沙門就舍供養。得利弘多。舍利弗言。設令有人得一閻浮提滿中珍寶。猶不如請一淨戒者就舍供養。獲利彌多。目揵連言。正使有人得二天下乃至滿四天下珍寶。其利猶不如請一清淨沙門詣舍供養。得利殊勝。

As the Xianyu jing states: "If a dānapati completely makes specific invitations to the sixteen kinds [of monks], although he will obtain karmic rewards of merit, it is still not much. What are the sixteen? Bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs each have eight classes. It is not as good as indiscriminately inviting four people; the merit and blessings obtained exceed the former, and [the former] do not equal even a sixteenth part of it. In the future age of decline, when the Dharma is on the verge of extinction, even if bhikṣus keep wives and raise children, if there are four or more, they are nominally the Saṅgha, and one should revere them just like Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the others." At that time, Maitreya Bodhisattva asked the Saṅgha: "If a dānapati invites one śramaṇa who observes pure precepts to his home and makes offerings to him, how does the profit obtained compare to someone gaining one hundred thousand coins?" Then Kauṇḍinya immediately said: "Even if someone obtained one hundred carts of precious jewels, when calculating the blessings and benefits, it would not equal inviting one śramaṇa of pure precepts to one's home and making offerings, which brings vastly more benefit." Śāriputra said: "Suppose someone obtained an entire Jambudvīpa filled with precious jewels; it would still not equal inviting one who observes pure precepts to one's home and making offerings, which secures far more benefit." Maudgalyāyana said: "Even if someone obtained the precious jewels of two continents, or up to all four continents, the benefit would still not equal inviting one pure śramaṇa to go to one's home and making offerings, which brings exceedingly superior benefit."