諸經要集 14
English (machine translation) 14
- Language
- English
14.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Monastery
14.2
Section 23: The Ten Non-Virtues (containing ten conditions)
14.3
Condition of Killing Living Beings
Condition of Stealing
Condition of Sexual Misconduct
Condition of False Speech
Condition of Harsh Speech
Condition of Malicious Gossip
Condition of Frivolous Speech
Condition of Greed and Avarice
Condition of Malice
Condition of Wrong Views
14.4
Condition of Killing Living Beings, Number 1
14.5
Now, those who receive bodily form across the six destinies without exception cling passionately to life and covet living; those endowed with physical substance between the two modes of heaven and earth are all alike anxious and terrified of death. Although ascending and descending through ten thousand varieties, and differentiated into a thousand extremes of folly and wisdom, when it comes to fleeing suffering and seeking ease, how could this sentiment differ? Therefore, the frightened bird flew to the desk, still pleading for its life before the ruler of Wei; the desperate beast entered the hut, thereby begging for survival from Master Ou. The Han emperor cast aside the bait, and thereupon was rewarded with the gift of a luminous pearl; Yang Bao gave freedom to the bird, and so received the recompense of white jade rings. Even to a novice saving ants, who in this life attained longevity; or Flowing Water rescuing the fish, when heaven showered down precious gems: how could matters of this kind be completely enumerated? How could one indulge this insatiable desire to provide for this transient body, cutting off another's breath of life and severing their aggregate-body, thus causing them to embrace suffering unto death and harbor grief toward their demise? Though the great earth is broad, there is nowhere to flee and hide; though the vast heaven is high, there is no place to submit one's appeal. Thus the sūtras say: 'All tremble at the rod; none do not love life. Taking oneself as a comparison, do not kill, do not strike.' Yet ordinary mortals are topsy-turvy, possessed of wrong views and ignorance. Sometimes for auspicious or inauspicious, public or private sacrifices, or for entertaining guests, they manage the kitchen, cooking and slaughtering the bodies of various creatures to prepare meals for the multitude. Or again, as the year shifts and the season grows late, during lulls in affairs and periods of leisure, when the sky turns grim with falling frost and the wilderness is blazed with encroaching fires, they mount swift steeds that chase the wind and carry fine falcons swift as lightning; their swords are Juque and Ganjian, and their bows are Wuhao and Fanruo. Thereupon they lay waste to marshes and thickets, exhausting the forests and groves, overturning arboreal nests and shattering burrows and dens. Trapping-nets stretch across the wilderness, and bird-nets cover the mountains. Either the road ahead is lightly blocked, or they intercept from the left and cut off from the right; dust obscures the sun and smoke and fire surge toward the heavens. Birds, losing their mates, fly in terror; beasts, separated from their herds, bolt and scramble. Wild geese, hearing the twanging string, vie to drop; apes, clutching trees, wail in sorrow. None fail to cry out in grief overlooking precipitous valleys, or shriek in anguish facing the lofty woods. Then arrows are not loosed in vain, and bows are not drawn for naught: piercing the armpit and penetrating the chest, severing the head and smashing the brain. Or again, dangling a fishing line over muddy shallows, or scattering bait into clear deep pools, learning to angle for carp at the river crossing, or joining to shoot minnows in wellspring valleys: once the vermilion scales are caught, they have no further power to wait for a promise; when the pale form is suspended, the auspicious omen of leaping into the boat is forever ended. Minced fine, the flesh and body scatter like rain over the cutting board and platter. Or again, when the Xianyun flare up intensely, punitive campaigns should properly be launched; when border frontiers rebel against commands, reliance is placed on divine martial might. Although worthy and good sovereigns still employ weapons of war, and wise monarchs and enlightened rulers must still launch expeditions—so the campaign at Shen'er won great renown, and the army at Muye was praised for sublime virtue—among them, some command a million men and stride across the land, or lead five thousand deep into enemy territory. Cao Cao was shattered at Red Cliff; Xiang Yu was struck down at the Wu River; Wang Mang's head was suspended from a high terrace; Dong Zhuo's corpse was laid out in the marketplace. All were heroes exhibiting martial might for a time, yet instances of this kind cannot be fully recorded: bones piled up into mountains, and blood flowed deep enough to float pestles. Now the royal army moves like thunder to sweep away and exterminate treacherous rebels, raising weapons and holding tally-banners, watching frontiers and spying on borders. Already participating in the vanguard or presuming to hold the elite rear guard, beneath the cloud-banners how could one dare feel secure? Amidst the frosty blades, truly there is much peril! Thus under the knife they knock their heads, and beneath the spear they beg for life. Offenses such as these cannot be fully recounted. Whenever sentient beings harm one another, becoming enemies and developing feuds, incurring debts of life and bodily injury, they create causes for short lifespans, which then bring about the fruition of many diseases. We vow that from this day forward, this continuity will be severed forever, and unto the end of the future, we will become companions of bodhi and mutually equal comrades in the city of the Dharma that does not destroy good causes.
14.6
Furthermore, the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: 'What is non-killing? If minute insects are born in paddy, millet, broomcorn millet, or wheat, one does not pound or grind it; knowing that there are insects in it, one protects their lives, does not transfer it to others, and does not kill living beings. If oxen, horses, camels, or donkeys bear loads upon their backs, and worms are born within sores, when washing these sores with grain water, one does not use herbal medicines to cut off the lives of these worms; using bird feathers, one washes and wipes away the worms and places them among other foul, rotten, spoiling meat, preserving their lives. At the same time, one protects these donkeys and oxen, fearing their lives will be harmed, and also protects the lives of the worms down to the ants. Whether by day or by night, one does not act with heedlessness and has no thought of killing in the mind. If one sees sentient beings wishing to eat those worms, one barters for them with what they would eat, allowing them to escape.'
14.7
Furthermore, the Vinaya of the Dharmaguptakas says: 'In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a householder in the city of Śrāvastī who constantly made offerings to the arhat monk Kālodayin. The householder had only one son, and when he grew up, took a wife for him. When the householder was near death, he instructed his son: "After I die, you must attend to the Venerable Kālodayin just as I do today, and do not let him lack anything." After the parents passed away, the son upheld the parents' instruction and again made offerings to Kālodayin, with no difference from when his father was alive. Later, at another time, the householder's son went out on travel and was away, entrusting his wife to make the offerings. On that day, there was a band of five hundred thieves. Among them was a thief whose face was handsome. Seeing him from afar, the wife sent a messenger to call him over, and then engaged in an illicit affair with him. Because Kālodayin frequently went to their home, the wife feared that the śramaṇa would disclose this matter, and later, together with this thief, devised a way to murder him. When King Prasenajit heard that the Venerable Kālodayin had been murdered by a thief, the king, remembering the Venerable One, was enraged and distraught; he immediately executed the householder's family, and also killed over eighteen neighboring households, captured the five hundred thieves, cut off their heads and feet, and threw them into the moat. The monks, having seen this, said to the Buddha: "What evil did Kālodayin commit in the past that caused him to be murdered by the householder's wife?" The Buddha told the monks: "In the distant past, Kālodayin was the master of a great deva shrine. Five hundred men led a single sheep, severed its four legs, and brought it to the deva shrine to make a vow together. Once the shrine master obtained it, he slaughtered it. Because of slaughtering the sheep, he fell into hell and underwent immeasurable suffering. The shrine master of that time is now Kālodayin. Although he attained the status of an arhat, the residue of his calamity was not yet exhausted, so now he received this retribution. The sheep at that time is now this wife. The five hundred men who severed the sheep's legs at that time are the five hundred thieves whose hands and feet were severed by the king today." The Buddha told the monks: "When a person commits slaughter, the karmic retribution received never perishes."'
14.8
Furthermore, the Damamūka-nidāna-sūtra says: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, there was an elder in the city of Śrāvastī named Ligimi (Mṛgāra), who had seven sons, all of whom were married. The youngest son's wife was named Vaiśālī (Viśākhā); she was exceedingly wise and virtuous, knowing everything. Thereupon, Mṛgāra entrusted all of his household estate to her. On account of her wisdom and virtue, King Prasenajit treated her with reverence as his sister. At one time she became pregnant, and when the months were fulfilled she gave birth to thirty-two eggs. From each egg came a male child, whose appearance was handsome and whose courage and strength were extraordinary; the strength of each single person was equal to a thousand men. When they grew up, wives were taken for them, all daughters of noble and virtuous families in the country. At that time Viśākhā invited the Buddha and the Saṃgha to her house to make offerings. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and the whole family attained the fruit of srotāpanna; only the youngest son had not yet attained the stages of the Path. Riding an elephant, he went out on an excursion and met the chief minister's son riding in a chariot on a bridge; he seized him and threw him down into the moat beneath the bridge, injuring and breaking his body. He came and told his father. The chief minister told his son, "His strength is mighty and he is moreover a relative of the ruler; it is hard to contend and win against him. We should devise a secret revenge." He then made thirty-two horsewhips out of the seven treasures, fashioned swords of pure steel, placed them within the horsewhips, and presented one to each person. Everyone liked them, joyfully accepted them, and constantly held them in their hands, going in and out to see the king. By the law of the state, it was forbidden to carry swords when seeing the king. Seeing that they had accepted them, the chief minister calumniated them to the king, saying, "The sons of Viśākhā are in the prime of life and mighty in strength, each equal to a thousand. Now they harbor deviant plots, scheming to assassinate the king; each has made a sharp sword and placed it within his horsewhip. The matter is clearly evident." The king immediately demanded to inspect them, and indeed it was as he had said. Believing it to be true, the king executed them all. When the killing was done, he placed the thirty-two heads in a single casket, sealed and stamped it, and sent it to his sister. On that day, Viśākhā had invited the Buddha and the Saṃgha to her house to receive offerings. Seeing the casket sent by the king, she thought the king was contributing to the offering and wished to open it and look. The Buddha stopped her and did not permit it, waiting until the Saṃgha had finished eating. When the meal was over, the Buddha preached the Dharma of impermanence, suffering, and so on for her. At that time Viśākhā attained the fruit of anāgāmin. After the Buddha had departed, she opened the casket and saw the thirty-two heads of her sons. Because she had severed desire and craving, she did not fall into anguish; she merely said, "How grievous! How sorrowful! Human life ends in death and cannot long endure; galloping through the five destinies, why must there be such suffering?" When the families and kinsmen of the thirty-two sons' wives heard this matter, they lamented in anguish and cried out, "The Great King is unprincipled, falsely executing good men!" Gathering their troops and horses together, they wished to go and seek revenge. At that time the king was terrified and fled to where the Buddha was. The people led the army and surrounded the Jetavana. Seeing that the king had executed the thirty-two sons of Viśākhā and that their wives' families and kinsmen wished to take revenge, Ānanda joined his palms and asked the Buddha, "What was the cause and condition whereby the thirty-two sons were executed by the king?" The Buddha told Ānanda, "Long ago in the past, thirty-two men stole an ox belonging to another and led it together to the house of an old woman, wishing to slaughter it together. The old woman was pleased and prepared the slaughtering implements for them. When the knife was about to strike, the ox knelt down and begged for its life. The men's passions ran high, and so they slaughtered it. As it died, the ox made a vow: 'You slaughter me now; in future lives I will never let you go.' After it was dead, they ate it together. Having eaten her fill, the old woman said joyfully, 'Never have I entertained guests as I have today!'" The Buddha told Ānanda, "The ox at that time was King Prasenajit now. The men who stole the ox were the thirty-two sons of Viśākhā now. The old woman of that time was Viśākhā now. Because they slaughtered the ox, for five hundred lifetimes they have constantly been killed by it. Because the old woman rejoiced, for five hundred lifetimes she was constantly their mother, experiencing extreme anguish whenever her sons were killed. Now, because she encountered me, she has attained the fruit of anāgāmin." When the wives' families and kinsmen heard what the Buddha said, their hateful intentions subsided. Each said, "These men sowed it themselves and now receive the retribution. Even from slaughtering one ox it is still like this, how much more so for many! King Prasenajit is our king; how could we harbor resentment and wish to slay him?" They thereupon threw themselves before the king, begging for mercy and repenting; the king too was relieved and did not hold them guilty. Ānanda addressed the Buddha, "What merit did they cultivate to be noble, rich, courageous, strong, and to meet the Buddha and attain the Path?" The Buddha told Ānanda, "Long ago in the past, in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there was an old woman who gathered various incenses, mixed them with oil, and wished to go and plaster a stūpa. On the road she met thirty-two men and thereupon exhorted them to go together to plaster the stūpa. When the plastering was finished, they made a vow: 'May we, wherever we are born in life after life, be honoured, glorious, noble, and wealthy; may we always be mother and sons; and may we meet a Buddha and attain the Path.' From that time onward, throughout five hundred lifetimes, they were always born into high nobility and were constantly mother and sons. Now, because they encountered the Buddha, each attained the traces of the Path."
14.9
The verse on primary retribution says:
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Taking the lives of others in jest and sport, / One enters hell amidst mournful wails.
Foul filth and molten copper / Pour and surge in unbroken succession.
Running toward knives and rushing into flames, / One is torn apart and crushed in agonizing torment.
For billions of years suffering myriads of woes, / The heart is grieved beyond what can be recorded.
14.11
The verse on habitual retribution says:
14.12
Killing living beings leads into the four destinies; / Having endured suffering, the three paths are finished.
When born among the human path, / One has a short life and many worries and ailments.
Afflicted with hardships by pestilence and disease, / One's lifespan is brief and one constantly sinks.
If there are sentient beings of wisdom, / How could the mind of killing be unrestrained?
14.13
Section 2: The Conditions of Stealing
14.14
Now, of those who take physical form in the six destinies, there is none that does not have greed and desire as its source. Taking bodily substance from the two poles [of heaven and earth], all alike have attachment to wealth as their root. Although humans and beasts are distinct, their stinginess and possessiveness are no different. Therefore, one who snatches at wealth whenever it is present cannot be called a wise man; one who forgets righteousness upon seeing profit will not become a gentleman. Furthermore, money, wealth, jade, and silk are external dependencies; banners, flowers, and the Saṃgha's property are internal offerings. In principle, one should reflect upon one's own poverty and rejoice in another's wealth; how could one, out of one's own poverty, greedily seize another's property? Thus Devadatta took flowers and thereupon fell away; Gavāmpati damaged millet and instead received an ox's body; Kāśyapa begged for cakes and was ridiculed by worldly folk; the bhikṣu smelled fragrance and was properly rebuked by the pool deity. From this we know that the transgression of stealing is by no means anything other than a grave offense. Thus one has no breakfast to rely on and no clothes for night's sleep; like birds nesting or deer lodging, one is naked and curled up; sleeping by the roadside, one stalks the alleys seeking food. Consequently, mothers follow the partridges southward, while sons follow barbarian horses northward; husbands flee westward like the shadow of the sun, and wives drift eastward like a flowing stream. There is none who does not feel heartbroken gazing toward their old hometown, or weep aloud remembering their birthplace. Tears mingle with blood, pouring down; hearts are aggrieved, with furrowed brows. Sufferings such as these all come from not practicing giving and committing robbery and theft in previous lives. Therefore, the sūtras say: "If you wish to know past causes, look at your present fruit; if you wish to know future fruit, observe your present cause." Therefore, all practitioners are exhorted to constantly admonish themselves never to give rise to thoughts of theft, even to the point of not coveting dropped items, let alone intentionally stealing the property of others! (Below this are five kinds of conditions of stealing.)
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The first is stealing the property of the Buddha. As the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: When a Buddhist monastery has been built and adorned with pearls and flower garlands as offerings, if one takes them without asking, whether knowing or unknowing, in both cases one commits the preliminary offense of theft. Furthermore, the Vinaya-vibhāṣā says: If one steals banners and flowers from a Buddha stūpa or a śrāvaka stūpa, a grave offense is incurred in relation to the donor, because of severing their merit. Furthermore, the Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya says: If one steals the property of a Buddhist shrine (stūpa) or offering implements in a monastery, if there is a caretaker, calculating against the owner, one incurs a grave offense. As in the Daśabhāṇavāra on stealing the Buddha's relics, and the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra on stealing a Buddha image, if it is done with a pure mind to make offerings, thinking to oneself, "That person is a disciple, and I too am a disciple"—for such a person, although taking it to make offerings without asking, in all cases no offense is committed. (This means that if the donor's disposition is open-minded, no offense is committed; if it is restrictive, one incurs a grave offense.) If based on the Mātṛkā-śāstra, it says: If one steals a Buddha image or relic in order to resell it for a livelihood, one incurs an extremely grave offense. (As for Dharma property, it can be understood by analogy to that of the Buddha; thus the text below in the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya says: Once there was someone who stole another's sūtra scroll, and the Buddha said, "The Buddha's words are priceless; calculating based on the paper and ink to reach the full value of five coins, one incurs a grave offense." The rest can be understood from this.) The second is stealing the property of the Saṃgha. As the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: If one borrows the property of the Saṃgha and does not return it, calculating its value, one commits a grave offense. Furthermore, the Guanfo sanmei jing says: One who steals garland-property of the Saṃgha commits a crime exceeding that of killing eighty-four thousand parents. Furthermore, the Baoliang jing (Ratnarāśi-sūtra) says: Better to consume one's own flesh than ever to use the property of the Triratna. Furthermore, relying on the Vaipulya-sūtra, the Bodhisattva Puṣpakūṭa said: "I can save even those of the five heinous deeds and four grave offenses; but one who steals the property of the Saṃgha, I cannot save." Furthermore, the Chapter on Saving Nāgas in the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra says: At that time there were nāgas who attained knowledge of past lives, and reflecting on their past karma, weeping and shedding tears like rain, they came before the Buddha and spoke respectively thus: "We recall that formerly, within the Buddha's Dharma, whether as laypeople through kinship connections or through the connection of listening to the Dharma, whatever faithful minds we had, we gave away various flowers, fruits, food, and drink, and ate them together with the bhikṣus in turn. Some spoke saying: 'I once surreptitiously consumed the flowers, fruits, food, and drink of the Saṃgha of the four quarters.' Some spoke saying: 'I went to monasteries to give alms to the Saṃgha or to pay homage, and in this way surreptitiously consumed them. Even across the time of the Seven Buddhas, having been faithful laypeople, we offered various flowers, fruits, and food and drink for the sake of making offerings; after the bhikṣus received them, they redirected and gave them to us, and upon receiving them we ate them.' On account of those karmic conditions, in the hells through immeasurable kalpas, in great raging fires we were burned or boiled, or drank molten copper, or swallowed iron pellets. Emerging from hell, we fell among the animals; shedding our animal bodies, we were born among the hungry ghosts. In various ways such as these, we fully endured bitterness and toil." The Buddha told the nāgas, "This evil karma is no different from stealing the property of the Buddha; compared with the karma of the five heinous deeds, its crime is like half. Yet this retributive punishment is hard to escape; in the Auspicious Kalpa, when encountering the final Buddha, named Ruci, in the time of that Buddha your sins will be eliminated." The author states: Why is the sin of stealing and using the property of the Saṃgha especially grave? The answer is: As soon as one steals a single item, in relation to the ordinary and noble beings of the ten directions—from the Buddhas above down to ordinary monks below—in accordance with the boundless realm, an equal, boundless sin is incurred. The number of minute dust motes could still be known, but this person's sinful retribution is immeasurable. Why is this? Because when the donors originally gave a single hair or a single grain, they intended it as an offering to the ordinary and noble renunciants of the ten directions, so that they might consume it and cultivate the Path day and night; they did not wish to offer it to the laity. Therefore, when the bell sounds a single strike, near and far dine together; the usage by both ordinary and noble alike completes the work of the Path, invisibly aiding the donors to obtain boundless benefit. Only such merit and benefit have efficacy equal to the Dharmadhātu. Since it brings so much good, could the guilt incurred be small? Now we see deluded, foolish sentient beings, regardless of noble or lowly, having no faith in the Triratna, who covetously grasp at merit-producing property to support their own bodies: either eating the Saṃgha's food, consuming its flowers and fruits, or riding the Saṃgha's various livestock, or driving and employing the Saṃgha's servants; or borrowing the Saṃgha's property and failing to return it for a long time, and upon seeing the Saṃgha repeatedly demand it, they instead insult and abuse them; or relying on official power and prestige, they spy out and seek the faults of the Saṃgha. Harm and losses such as these cannot be fully listed; when calmly reflecting on this blame, how could the heart not ache? Now, that we are parsimonious and do not give it to them is not out of stinginess and failure to bestow; it is out of compassionate pity for white-robed laypeople, fearing they will suffer future pain. If one were to give it to them, it would not merely harm the laity, but the guilt would also reach the monastic administrators, and in future birthplaces they would suffer its calamity together. Therefore, the Buddhacarita-sūtra says: A single thought of evil can open five unwholesome gates: first, evil can burn up a person's roots of goodness; second, from evil further evil is born; third, one is rebuked by the noble ones; fourth, one regresses and loses the fruits of the Path; fifth, upon dying one enters the evil destinies. Since we know this is no simple matter, it truly serves as a great warning. When taking and receiving in later times, examine yourself before using it.
14.16
Third is stealing by interchanging the use of property. As the Baoyin jing states: The two categories of property belonging to the Buddha and the Dharma must not be used interchangeably. This is because there is no owner to act on behalf of the Buddha's and Dharma's property, nor is there anyone to consult; unlike the property of the Saṅgha, whether of the resident saṅgha or the saṅgha of the four directions, where there are individuals to consult with one another. If one uses Saṅgha property to repair a stupa of the Buddha, it must be taken according to the Dharma: if the Saṅgha is in harmony, it may be used; if not in harmony, one should encourage laypeople to repair it. If there is property belonging to a stupa of the Buddha, even of one coin or more, because the donor relinquished it with a deeply reverent mind, devas and humans should produce the thought of the Buddha and the thought of the stupa toward this property. Even if it is blown by the wind and rots away, it must not be traded to make offerings, for no one may set a price on the property of the Tathāgata's stupa. Furthermore, the Shisong lü states: The Buddha permitted the monastic quarters and the Buddha stupa to keep servants as well as elephants, horses, cattle, sheep, and so forth, each having its respective owner, and they must not be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the Sengqi lü states: If there are many flowers offered to the Buddha, it is permitted to resell them to buy incense and lamps; if there is still an excess, resell them into inexhaustible wealth. Furthermore, the Oral Decisions on the Five Hundred Inquiries states: If there are many banners of the Buddha and one wishes to use them for other Buddha-affairs, it is permitted; if the donor does not allow it, it is not permitted. Furthermore, the Sifen lü states: Regarding food offered to a Buddha stupa, those who maintain the stupa may eat it. Furthermore, the Shanjian lun states: Regarding meals offered before the Buddha, a bhikṣu who attends to the Buddha may eat them; if there is no bhikṣu and a white-robed [layman] attends to the Buddha, he may also eat them. Furthermore, the Zuifu jueyi jing states: When first offering to the Buddha, the senior, middle, and junior seat-holders must instruct the white-robed [laypeople] to present it to the Buddha and the Saṅgha; after offering to the Buddha, it is not an offense to distribute it to the Saṅgha to eat. If not done thus, because one eats the Buddha's property, one will fall into the Avīci Hell for a thousand billion years. If the dānapati does not accept the master's instruction, he will also incur the aforesaid retribution; if born among humans, he will fall into a lowly station for nine million years. Why is this? Because no one can appraise the value of the Buddha's property. (In ordinary lay households holding vegetarian feasts or in monasteries, regarding the regular food of the two meal-times offered to the Buddha and the holy Saṅgha, if it is not restricted exclusively to the Buddha and Saṅgha, there is no need to ransom it; after the remaining food is formally announced, all may eat it. If the donor's intention was explicitly marked that the offered food is definitively for the Buddha and Saṅgha and not open to the white-robed, it should be ransomed before taking it to eat.) Or if a donor originally intended to make a Śākyamuni image but changes it to Amitābha; originally intended to produce the Large Prajñāpāramitā but changes it to supply the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra; originally intended to build monastic rooms but changes it to supply food for the Saṅgha; originally donated to the two assemblies but changes it to go to one assembly; originally intended for the ten directions but redirects it to the present Saṅgha; originally intended for the great assembly but redirects it to an individual; originally intended for the Saṅgha but redirects it to the white-robed—these all contravene the donor's intent. Counting the amount of money, reaching five coins constitutes a grave offense; less than five incurs a light offense. Therefore the Sifen lü states: Promising to this place and then giving to that place all incur offenses. (Determining the gravity of the offense is still weighed according to the prior donor's intention.) Following this text, if there are leftover paints from inspecting and decorating an image of the Buddha, they must not be used to fashion the forms of bodhisattvas, holy monks, and so on; because the statuses of master and disciple differ, they must not be used interchangeably. They may, however, be made into other adornments and brought back to offer to the Buddha without offense. If the donor's intention was open—a single tableau of Buddha images freely adorned with various images of monastics and laypeople, ordinary and holy beings, miscellaneous offerings, famous flowers, plants and trees, mountains, ponds, birds and beasts—and not restricted to the Buddha image, executing all of these incurs no offense. Thus the Five Hundred Inquiries states: Using paints of the Buddha to make the forms of birds and beasts incurs an offense, except when it is before the Buddha for the purpose of making offerings, in which case there is no offense. (I have often heard that monastics and laypeople in border regions do not understand the monastic precepts; although they have good intentions to manage affairs for the Triratna, they indulge their own ordinary sentiments and use the property of the Triratna interchangeably, even taking the holy coins from a vegetarian feast either for personal use, or entering them into the resident saṅgha, or making Buddha images, or painting images of Kāśyapa, Ānanda, and others on walls. None of this is permissible and incurs an offense, as detailed in the chapter on 'Receiving Invitations' above. Question: Nowadays at feasts there are Buddha-coins; into what use may these coins be directed? Answer: If the donor's original mind was definitively to make images, it is just like the preceding text on interchangeable use: they may only be used to make Buddhas and not for other purposes. If, as in today's feast households, after ordinary monks have eaten, they produce coins broadly for the Buddha and Saṅgha without the donor specifically designating or restricting them, one may freely take them to buy incense, purchase oil, make banners, construct Buddha halls, and make various offerings to the Buddha; to use them thus is entirely permissible. But they must not enter into use for the scriptures, the Saṅgha, or individuals. The above brief explanation is entirely judged according to the texts of sūtras and vinayas, not human sentiment. If one does not act according to the Dharma, one conversely incurs the offense of ignorance and failing to study. For anything not exhaustively stated here, see the detailed explanation in the ten-fascicle Vinaya Commentary for Monks and Nuns. Hence we know that superintending the Triratna is a momentous matter, not a light one. Unless one clearly understands the monastic precepts, deeply believes in cause and effect, exercises caution in mind, fears the karmic paths, is constantly diligent in mindfulness, and does not yield to human sentiment, only such a person is competent to act as a rector (karmadāna) or administrator; others should not do so.) Furthermore, the Baoliang jing states: The Buddha told Kāśyapa: 'I permit two kinds of bhikṣus to manage the affairs of the assembly. What are the two? First, those who can purely uphold the precepts; second, those who fear the future world, like adamantine (vajra). There are another two kinds. What are the two? First, those who recognize and understand karmic retribution; second, those who have shame, conscience, and repentance. There are another two kinds. What are the two? First, arhats; second, those who can cultivate the eight liberations (aṣṭa vimokṣāḥ). Such two kinds of bhikṣus I permit to manage affairs; being free of flaws themselves, they can protect others.' Because this matter is difficult, he told Kāśyapa: 'Within the Buddha's Dharma, there are diverse kinds of pravrajyā, diverse clans, diverse minds, diverse liberations, and diverse severings of fetters. There are those in araṇya, those who beg for food, those who delight in dwelling in mountain forests, those who delight in being near settlements while purely upholding the precepts, those who can abandon the four yokes, those who diligently cultivate extensive learning, those who eloquently explain all dharmas, those who well uphold the monastic precepts, those who well uphold the vinaya rites and deportment, and those who travel through cities, towns, and settlements preaching the Dharma for people. To such various bhikṣus of the Saṅgha, the bhikṣu managing affairs must skillfully grasp these people's thoughts.' Therefore the sūtra states: 'That bhikṣu managing affairs should differentiate: property of the resident saṅgha must not be given to the saṅgha of the four directions; property of the saṅgha of the four directions must not be given to the resident saṅgha (these two kinds of property must not be used interchangeably). Property of the resident saṅgha and property of the saṅgha of the four directions must not be mixed together with the property of the Buddha (the Buddha's property must also not be mixed together with these two properties). If property of the resident saṅgha is abundant and the saṅgha of the four directions has a need, the bhikṣu managing affairs should assemble the Saṅgha, distribute voting tallies (śalākā), and solicit their consent (chanda). If the Saṅgha is in harmony, he should take property of the resident saṅgha and share it with the saṅgha of the four directions. If the stupa of the Tathāgata has a need or is falling into ruin, and if property of either the resident saṅgha or the saṅgha of the four directions is abundant, the bhikṣu managing affairs should assemble the Saṅgha, distribute voting tallies, and solicit their consent, speaking thus: "This Buddha stupa is ruined and now has a need. Property of this resident saṅgha or saṅgha of the four directions is abundant. Let the venerable Saṅgha listen! If the time has arrived for the Saṅgha, may the Saṅgha give permission: if the Saṅgha does not begrudge the donated property received, whether of the resident saṅgha or the saṅgha of the four directions, I shall now take and use it to repair the Buddha stupa." If the Saṅgha is not in harmony, the bhikṣu managing affairs should encourage and convert laypeople, seeking wealth from them to repair the Buddha stupa. If the property of the Buddha is abundant, it must not be divided and given to the resident saṅgha or the saṅgha of the four directions. Why is this? Toward this property one should produce the thought of the Bhagavat. Property belonging to the Buddha, even down to a single thread, was donated to the Buddha by donors with a faithful mind. Therefore devas and worldly people produce the thought of the Buddha stupa toward this property, let alone toward precious items! If in a Buddha stupa, it would be better to let the wind blow and rain rot it until completely destroyed; one must not trade these robes for precious items. Why is this? Because no one can set a price on property of the Tathāgata's stupa, and also because the Buddha has no needs. In this way, managers of affairs must not cause the property of the Triratna to be mixed. By mixing and using it themselves, they will receive great suffering retribution, whether for one kalpa or exceeding one kalpa, because of encroaching upon the property of the Triratna.'
14.17
Furthermore, the Baoliang jing states: The Buddha said, 'If a bhikṣu managing affairs gives rise to anger and, because of his authority, orders and drives about persons of great virtue who uphold the precepts, he will therefore fall into hell; if he attains birth as a human, he will become a slave or servant beaten and whipped by bitter masters. Furthermore, if a bhikṣu managing affairs, because of his authority, creates further heavy regulations exceeding the Saṅgha's regular rules, punishes bhikṣus, and compels them to work at improper times, because of this unwholesome root, he will fall into the Minor Hell of Many Nails. Having been born therein, his body will be pierced and pinned down with hundreds of thousands of nails, his body blazing like a great mass of fire. Furthermore, if a bhikṣu managing affairs frightens those of great virtue who uphold the precepts with grave matters and speaks with an angry mind, he will be born in hell; the tongue he obtains will be five hundred yojanas long, and his tongue will be pierced with hundreds of thousands of nails, with great flames emerging from each and every nail. Furthermore, if a bhikṣu managing affairs frequently receives Saṅgha property, hoards it out of stinginess, gives it to the Saṅgha at improper times, gives it with difficulty, gives it grudgingly, gives little, does not give it, gives to some and does not give to others, because of this unwholesome root, there are foul preta who constantly eat balls of dung, and when this person's life ends he will be born among them; for hundreds of thousands of years he will constantly get no food, or sometimes his food will turn into feces, or turn into pus and blood. Therefore, Kāśyapa, a bhikṣu managing affairs would rather eat his own flesh than ever mix and use the property of the Triratna to make robes, bowls, food, or drink.'
14.18
Fourth is stealing ordinary property. As the Shanjian lun states: If one guards property for another person or even for the Triratna, if one prudently oversees and protects it, securely locking the storeroom doors, yet thieves steal it through a hole or through the roof, or take it by force, beyond what the custodian can prevent, the offense is charged solely against the original owner, and it is entirely improper to demand compensation [from the custodian]. If the person in charge is negligent and does not diligently guard it, so that it is stolen by thieves, the person in charge of the property must compensate for it, because the offense is charged against the custodian. The Shisong lü states: If one accepts another's entrusted property from a distant place and it is damaged or broken on the road, if it was broken while handling it with good intentions, one should not compensate; if broken with ill intent, one must compensate. If one borrows another's property, regardless of good or ill intent, if it is broken, one must compensate for everything. Furthermore, the Shisong lü states: If a thief brings stolen goods and gives them either with good intentions or out of terror because others are pursuing him, it is permissible to take them, because he has become the owner of the goods; one must only not solicit them from the thief, but if given voluntarily, they may be taken. If one has already dyed and spoiled the color [of the cloth] and worn it, and the owner recognizes it, it should be returned. Furthermore, the Modeleqie lun states: If an insane person personally brings property to give, and one does not know of their parents or relatives, it may be taken; if the parents are known and do not give it with their own hands, it may not be taken. Furthermore, the Shisong lü states: If one takes leftover meat from another person's tiger, one incurs a minor offense, because their hope [of reclaiming it] has not been severed; if one takes leftovers from a lion, there is no offense, because their hope has been severed. Furthermore, the Sapoduo lun states: Stealing leftovers from any bird or beast incurs a minor offense. (Nowadays in times of famine, many laypeople destroy the burrows of mice to take their stored chestnuts, walnuts, and miscellaneous nuts; according to this, it constitutes an offense.) The Sifen lü states: If taken thinking it was given, thinking it was one's own, thinking it was discarded rags (pāṃsukūla), thinking it was for temporary use, or thinking it was belonging to an intimate friend, none of these constitute an offense. As for intimate friends, according to the Vinaya, they must possess seven qualities to be called intimate friends: first, being able to do what is difficult to do; second, being able to give what is difficult to give; third, being able to endure what is difficult to endure; fourth, confiding confidential matters to each other; fifth, mutually concealing each other's [faults]; sixth, not abandoning each other when meeting with suffering; seventh, not slighting each other when poor and lowly. If a person can practice these seven qualities, they are an intimate and good friend; taking from them is not an offense.
14.19
Furthermore, the Ekottarika-āgama says: The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: “Suppose a person acts as a thief, stealing the property of another, and is seized by the owner, bound, and delivered to the king to punish his crime of theft. The king then dispatches men to shut him in prison; or to cut off his hands and feet; or to sever his ears and nose; or to flay his skin; or to extract his sinews; or to hang him upside down; or at times to saw him apart; or to roast him with fire; or at times to boil him in hot water; or to wrap his head with raw hide; or furthermore to pour molten copper over his body; or to pierce his loins with a long stake; or to have fierce elephants trample him to death; or to open his abdomen and extract the innards to stuff with grass; or at times to bind his hands behind him, beat the ominous drum, lead him to the marketplace, and beneath the standard sever his head; or furthermore to dismember his form joint by joint; or to hack him with knives; or at times to shoot him with arrows. In these various ways they cruelly kill him. Because of the cause and condition of this evil karma of stealing, after his life ends he is born in hell: blazing fires incinerate his body; molten copper is poured into his mouth; cauldrons of boiling liquid, braziers of coals, mountains of knives, and forests of swords; hot embers and ordure; grinding mills and crushing pestles. He undergoes various such sufferings, grievous and venomously harmful, painful beyond calculation, with no time of release for hundreds of thousands of myriad years. When his punishment in hell is ended, he is born among the animals—as an elephant, horse, ox, sheep, camel, donkey, dog, and so forth—for hundreds of thousands of years, to repay the labor of others. When his punishment as an animal is ended, he is born among the hungry ghosts, where the anguish of hunger and thirst cannot be fully told: from the beginning he never hears the name of soup or water, undergoing such suffering for hundreds of thousands of years. When his punishment in the evil destinies is ended, he comes forth to be born among humans. If born among humans, he receives two kinds of retribution: first, he is impoverished, his clothes not covering his body, and food not filling his mouth; second, he is constantly despoiled and plundered by kings, thieves, fires, floods, and evil robbers.”
14.20
Furthermore, the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: “What is called theft? Suppose a person thinks: ‘I wish that all kinds of grains and wheat ripen for me alone, and that the five grains do not mature for the people of the world.’ He constantly engages in such unwholesome thinking. Later, at another time, the sentient beings have meager merit, and the crops in the fields yield no harvest. When such an evil person sees famine in the world, joy arises in his heart, [thinking:] ‘It is just as I had intended.’ Selling at market, with a crooked mind and deceitful fraudulence he measures the grains and wheat to cheat and delude people, completely accomplishing the karma. If the mind thinks it, it is called the karma of intention; when he commits the deception, it is called the karma of deception; having committed the karma of deception, it is called completed karma.”
14.21
Fifth, concerning stealing lost property: As the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: If one sees lost property by the roadside—whether gold, silver, or other treasures—having picked it up, one should call out: ‘Whose property is this?’ If someone says, ‘This is my property,’ one should inquire about its characteristics. If true, one should return it. If no one claims it, one should carry it around for seven days, calling out each day. If no owner claims it, one should deliver this treasure to the king, the ministers, or the prefectural and district magistrates. If the king, ministers, or prefectural and district magistrates, seeing a person of merit, do not take this property, it should later be used to maintain and support the Buddha-Dharma and the Saṃgha. This is called non-stealing. Furthermore, the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya says: If one sees lost clothing or articles, one should call out for people to claim them. If no owner claims them, one should hang them in a high, conspicuous place for people to see. If someone says, ‘It is my property,’ one should question him: ‘Where did you lose your property?’ If his answer corresponds, give it to him. If no one recognizes it, one should keep it. After three months, if it was found within a stūpa precinct, it is assigned for the stūpa’s use; if found within the monastery precinct, it is for the use of the Saṃgha of the four directions. If it is of high value—meaning gold, silver, or necklaces of gems—one must not expose it openly and call out. The person who found the treasure should carefully inspect it several times to see what marks it bears, and only then put it away. When someone comes to claim it, if it corresponds, give it to him. Inquire and return it in the presence of many people; one must not return it in a secluded place. Instruct him to receive the three refuges, and say to him: ‘Had the Buddha not instituted the precepts, your eyes would never have seen it again.’ If no one comes to claim it, keep it for three years; as in the previous cases, it should be used within the boundary. If in repairing a stūpa one finds a buried treasure, it is used for the stūpa; the same applies to the Saṃgha’s land. Therefore the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra says: ‘To take and use a hidden cache is without fault. When the Buddha was in the world, the elder Anāthapiṇḍada was a noble person, yet he also took such property. Thus we know it is without fault.’ Moreover, naturally obtaining property is not called robbery. Furthermore, the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya says: Entering a village, if there is lost property, one must not take it; the one who gives it to the bhikṣu is the donor. Clothing blown by the wind in a village must not be taken with the thought that it is refuse-rags. If it is in an open road where no one is present, one may take it. Furthermore, the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: If one has kept clothing for twelve years without its being redeemed, assemble the Saṃgha to appraise its value and assign it for the use of the Saṃgha of the four directions. If that person later returns, compensate him with Saṃgha property. For those who do not accept [unlawfully], good [results come]. The verse on direct retribution says:
14.22
“Robbing and stealing to supply others’ use,
into Niraya one sinks entirely alone.
Birds of prey with vajra-beaks
peck at the brain and split open the heart.
Molten copper is poured into the mouth;
the body is shattered on the anvil of iron clubs.
Terrified and running in panic,
one turns and plunges back into the forest of knives and swords.”
14.23
The verse on residual retribution says:
14.24
“The fruit reaped from robbery and theft
is to be melted and dissolved in hell.
When the punishment ends and one is born in the human destiny,
hungry and poor, one’s mind meets its end.
Shared property is controlled by others;
how does it differ from being among the low and base?
These words are sent to those who cherish integrity:
you must surely reflect upon hardship and destitution.”
14.25
Third: Conditions Concerning Sexual Misconduct
14.26
Now, the sounds of lust corrupt virtue; the wise do not engage in them. The forms of desire bewilder the spirit; the sages have all abandoned them. Thus King You of Zhou lost his state, truly the fault of his trust in Baosi; Duke Xian of Jin brought ruin to his house, verily the crime of Liji. Atop Mount Ekaśṛṅga, [the rishi] did not perceive the shame of having his neck ridden; as his expectation lay in the court, how could he realize the anguish of burning his body? All this is because the sentient beings of the desire realm do not cultivate contemplative understanding, and are unable to sever or subdue the afflictions that bind them to the plane [of existence]. Moreover, among earth, water, fire, and wind, which is the master? Body, feelings, mind, and dharmas are by their original nature completely empty. Thin skin and thick skin wrap around impurity; the stomach and the bowels are foul beyond description. They constantly tend to drag people down into the three evil destinies. Therefore, great bodhisattva beings constantly cultivate contemplative practice: foul orifices discharge and overflow, filling the entire body; the enemy thieves of the six sense objects constantly harass and disturb; the caṇḍālas of the five aggregates can hardly be approached. Ordinary worldlings are deluded and give free rein to this greedy infatuation; they falsely view seductive appearances and cling to fleeting charms—white teeth, vermilion lips, long brows, and high topknots, moving with graceful shadows and enhancing their alluring beauty. Thus untying the jade pendant by the Luo River could cause the Prince of Chen to halt his carriage; toying with the pearl by the bend of the Han River led [Zheng] Jiaofu to leave his heart behind. Atop the terrace of Mount Wu, they entrusted their coming and going to clouds and rain; beside the waters of Shugu, they sent their visits back and forth via the flowing springs. Thus was the scent of burning incense made to waft far into Han Shou’s robes, and the music played upon the zither caused [Zhuo Wenjun] to comprehend Sima Xiangru’s intentions from afar. Some became intimate through the deer-skin pillow; some became clandestine through the hung cap. How do they not know that the form is like a mass of foam, its substance like a floating cloud, both inside and out completely empty, dispersing and perishing in an instant? The entire body is impure, the whole frame impermanent; then it is discarded into gutters and ditches to feed ants and crickets. Whenever sentient beings engage in this misconduct, it contravenes the way of Brahmā and obstructs the karma of bodhi; it is the cause of the four destinies and brings about the fruit of the three paths. Thus we know that the root of the three realms of existence is truly caused by the karma of lust, and the retributions of the six destinies specifically stem from the defilement of attachment. Because this moistening karma is especially weighty, the holy prohibitions forbid it. (Below this are four sections).
First 26 of 100 passages. Read on
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- 諸經要集 — Classical Chinese