四分戒本疏卷第一．第二．第三 2.77

2.77

“If a monk engages in various kinds of commercial trade, it is a niḥsargika-prāyaścittika.” In this full text of the precept, there are three clauses: first, the offender; second, clarifying buying and selling; third, establishing the offense. The first clause can be understood. Regarding “engages in various kinds of commercial trade,” the Vinaya says: “Five kinds of things are traded with one another: exchanging timely medicine for untimely [medicine], exchanging timely for seven-day [medicine], exchanging timely for lifetime [medicine], exchanging timely for robes, and even exchanging robes for robes—all are like this, mutually forming five clauses each.” The reason it is called “commercial trade” is that when a price is worth one coin, one repeatedly raises and lowers it. “Marking up for sale” means when it is worth one coin, saying it is worth three coins. “Heavily marking up the price” means when it is worth one coin, saying it is worth five coins. Saying it is worth five coins also has three forms: 1. buying; 2. buying with a markup; 3. buying with a heavy markup. Regarding “it is a niḥsargika-prāyaścittika,” this is the committed offense. The Vinaya says: “Bartering robes and medicine, disputing over high and low prices, repeatedly raising and lowering them—all constitute an offense.” The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states that this commercial trading fall is the heaviest among all falls. Better to be a butcher. Why? A butcher only harms one life, whereas commercial trading harms all beings alike, whether religious or lay, wise or foolish, keeping precepts or breaking precepts, constantly harboring a corrupt, evil mind with nowhere it does not deceive. If one hoards grain, one always hopes for famine, frost, hail, and disasters throughout the world; if one hoards and stores salt, one always wishes that the four quarters rebel and the king's highways are cut off. Because of many such faults, if a stūpa or image is made from items of this commercial trade, one may not face it and pay homage. It also says: only when forming the thought of the Buddha may one pay homage to it. If it is given to provide food for the Saṃgha, or for dwellings of the Saṃgha of the four quarters, one may not stay in any of them; a precept-observing monk should not accept or use them, and using them incurs an offense, because the faults are so many. If one eats by reason of commercial trade, fall follows cause; if one makes robes and wears them, fall follows every wearing; if one makes bedding, fall follows every turning over, heavier than other falls. The Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya states: If one inquires about the price oneself and speaks impure words, disputing high and low prices, all constitute duṣkṛta upon obtaining the item. If an item is worth fifty and one demands a hundred coins, and a monk settles it with fifty, seeking it in this way is not called lowering the price. If someone previously wished to buy this item, a monk may not outbid them in the market; he should ask, saying, “Have you stopped?” and only when they answer, “I have ceased,” may the monk then say, “At this price, do I know whether this item is good or not?” If a monk outbids in the market for his own goods, it is a duṣkṛta. If one artificially inflates the price of an item oneself and the other person believes it, taking an exorbitant price incurs the offense of theft. The Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā states: as for items in the precept on commercial trade, sometimes there is an offense in the preliminary stage, but no offense in the final result. For instance, if for profit one hoards salt and grain, and later conceives a good mind and immediately donates it to the Saṃgha to cultivate merit, this results in an offense in the final outcome. Conversely, if one surplus-stores it for merit and does not sell it, but later sees profit and sells it, appropriating the profit for oneself, this is no offense in the preliminary stage. Or both have offenses or both have no offenses, which can be known by analogy. As for no offense, the Vinaya says: it is permitted for renunciants of the five assemblies to trade with one another; they should carefully assess and determine it themselves, and should not raise and lower prices with one another like the worldly practice of the marketplace. One must not barter with [lay]people; one must have a kappiya person barter. If one regrets it, it is permitted to return it. If one trades oil for ghee, there is no offense, because it is permitted for making offerings of lamps and illumination.