釋氏要覽 1.34

1.34

This is a Sanskrit word. It is the name of a grass in India that possesses five virtues, and is therefore used as a metaphor for one who has left the household life. Ancient masters said: The reason *bixu* is not translated is that it contains five meanings: First, its substance is soft and pliable, which is a metaphor for the renunciant's ability to subdue coarseness of body and speech. Second, its creeping vines spread out laterally, which is a metaphor for the renunciant's transmission of the Dharma to deliver people in an unbroken lineage. Third, its fragrance carries far, which is a metaphor for the virtue of the renunciant's precepts being fragrant and heard by the multitude. Fourth, it can heal pain, which is a metaphor for the renunciant's ability to sever the poison of afflictions. Fifth, it does not turn its back on the sunlight, which is a metaphor for the renunciant always facing the sun of the Buddha. The *Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya-ekottarakarma* says: "If there is a bhikṣu eighty years of age who has completed sixty rains retreats, yet has never recited the *Prātimokṣa Sūtra* and does not understand its meaning, this is called an 'old-child bhikṣu' (the *Prātimokṣa Sūtra* is the precept text; this is cited just as one example)."