梵網經述記卷第一 1.44

1.44

經。殺因殺緣殺法殺業　釋曰。第二顯緣。殺法者。謂依先師法而行殺生。此復云何。此有二。一有外道經書云。殺羊祠天得生天上等。二有外經書說。諸苦行必得生天等。如大莊嚴論第五言。我昔曾聞。有婆伽利人。至中天竺國。王即用彼人為聚落主。於聚落中多諸婆羅門有親近者。為聚落主說婆羅陀書。說陣戰死者命終生天。投火死者亦生天上。又說。天上種種快樂。辭章巧妙而作是說。使聚落主心意駭動。謂必有是。即作火坑聚香薪𧂐。作婆羅門會。諸人雲集時。聚落主將欲投火。此聚落主與一釋種比丘先共相識。來至其家。見聚落主。於其家中。種種莊嚴。比丘問言。欲作何等。聚落主言。我欲生天。比丘問言。汝云何去。答言。我投火坑便得生天。比丘問言。汝體知天道不。答言。不知。比丘問言。汝若不知。云何得去。忉利天上。去此三百三十六萬里。無人引導。何由至彼。若天上樂者。彼上座婆羅門。年既老大。貧於財物。其婦又老。何不將去共向天上。主聞此語已。即便前提上座婆羅門手。欲共投火俱向天上。時婆羅門挌不肯去。主見婆羅門不欲入火。即說偈言。

Sūtra: "The causes of killing, conditions for killing, methods of killing, and acts of killing." / Commentary: Second, revealing the conditions. 'Methods of killing' refers to performing killing based on the teachings of former teachers. What does this mean? There are two kinds: first, there are non-Buddhist scriptures stating that slaughtering sheep to sacrifice to the gods leads to rebirth in the heavens, and so forth; second, there are non-Buddhist scriptures stating that various mortifications will surely lead to rebirth in the heavens, and so forth. As stated in the fifth fascicle of the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra: 'I once heard that there was a man of Bhāgali who went to the Central Realm of India. The king then appointed that man as a village head. In the village, there were many Brahmins who befriended him. For the village head, they recited the Bhārata scriptures, which stated that those who die in battle will be reborn in the heavens upon death, and that those who die by throwing themselves into fire will likewise be reborn in the heavens. They also spoke of the various pleasures of the heavens, speaking in such clever phrases that they agitated and stirred the village head's mind, so that he believed this must be true. He immediately dug a fire pit, gathered piles of fragrant firewood, and held an assembly of Brahmins. When the multitude gathered like clouds, the village head was about to throw himself into the fire. This village head had previously known a Śākya monk. The monk came to his home, saw the village head, and found his house decorated in various ways. The monk asked, "What do you wish to do?" The village head said, "I wish to be reborn in the heavens." The monk asked, "How will you go?" He answered, "If I throw myself into the fire pit, I will immediately attain rebirth in the heavens." The monk asked, "Do you know the path to the heavens in your own person?" He answered, "I do not know it." The monk asked, "If you do not know it, how can you go? Trāyastriṃśa Heaven is 3,360,000 li away from here. Without someone to guide you, how can you reach it? If heaven is joyful, that senior Brahmin is already old of years, impoverished of wealth, and his wife is also old; why do you not take him along to go to heaven together?" Having heard these words, the village head immediately pulled the senior Brahmin's hand forward, wishing to throw themselves into the fire together and ascend to heaven together. Then the Brahmin struggled and refused to go. Seeing that the Brahmin did not wish to enter the fire, the village head spoke a verse: