四分戒本疏卷第一．第二．第三 3.114

3.114

無事露地然火戒五十七　制意者。凡火性炎熾事變無恒。容有燒壞不可禁。又復然火群聚多著俗話。廢修正業。是以聖制　別緣有四。一是無因緣。甄去因緣不犯。二雖無因緣若在覆障處。生患義微亦是不犯。故須第二是露地。三然草木等甄去然炭。生過義微。但犯小罪。四燒便犯。此中但制無事。然火罪不言壞地傷。五生種罪。上已制竟故爾。此戒因六群露地火枯枝。內有蛇得火氣出。遂驚擲火燒佛講堂。比丘舉過。佛制斯戒。

Precept 57: On lighting a fire in the open without a reason. The intention behind the enactment is: the nature of fire is blazing, and its changes are constant; it may burn and destroy things beyond restraint. Furthermore, when lighting a fire and gathering in groups, one mostly engages in worldly talk, neglecting the cultivation of proper practice. Therefore, the Holy One enacted this precept. There are four specific conditions: 1. there is no cause or condition—distinguishing this excludes conditions under which it is not an offense; 2. although there is no condition, if it is in a covered or screened place, the occurrence of trouble is slight and it is also not an offense, hence the second [condition] must be that it is in the open; 3. burning grass, wood, and the like—distinguishing this excludes burning charcoal, where the arising of fault is slight and only a minor offense is committed; 4. burning it immediately commits the offense. Here, only the offense of lighting a fire without a reason is enacted; it does not speak of the offense of damaging the earth and harming the five classes of living seeds, because these have already been enacted above. This precept arose because the group of six lit dry branches in the open; a snake inside caught the heat of the fire and came out, whereupon they took fright, threw the fire, and burned down the Buddha's lecture hall. The bhikṣus reported this fault, and the Buddha enacted this precept.