五戒の細則
Chapter 2: How to Receive and Uphold the Eight Precepts of Fasting (Aṣṭāṇa-śīla)
Section 1: Commentary on the Gaoshuang Chapter, Volume Sixteen of the Ekottara Āgama
Original text:世尊告诸比丘。十五日中有三斋法。云何为三。八日十四日十五日。云何十五日持八关斋法。是时。诸比丘白世尊曰。如来是诸法之王。诸法之印。唯愿世尊当为诸比丘布演此义。诸比丘闻已。当奉行之。
Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: Within the first fifteen days of each month there are three fasting observances. What are the three? The eighth day, the fourteenth day, and the fifteenth day—these three days are the three fasting days. How does one uphold the eight precepts of fasting on the fifteenth day? At that time, the bhikṣus said to the World-Honored One: The Tathāgata is the king of all dharmas, the seal of all dharmas. We only wish that the World-Honored One would expound this meaning for the bhikṣus, so that upon hearing it, the bhikṣus will practice it.
The eight precepts of fasting can be received on any day; receiving them for seven consecutive days or for a whole month is fine, and one may also take them before a Buddha statue through self-vows. These are three additional precepts added to the foundation of the five precepts, making eight precepts in total. Regarding the precept against sexual misconduct, the five precepts permit sexual relations between husband and wife, while the eight precepts do not permit any form of sexual activity. For those who have received the five precepts, the first five precepts of the eight precepts of fasting must be upheld daily, and the latter three precepts must be upheld when receiving the eight precepts of fasting.
The precept against sitting on high, broad beds was established so that Buddha's disciples would not give rise to any arrogance; arrogance increases the view of self and self-grasping, adding to the bondage of birth and death. The precept against eating after noon was established so that Buddha's disciples would eat less, keep the mind pure, and have the wisdom to enter the Path and attain liberation. The precept against wearing flowers, garlands, and cosmetics was established so that Buddha's disciples would sever the view of the body and the view of self, and not cling to the appearance of the physical body. The five precepts, eight precepts, śrāmaṇera precepts, śrāmaṇerī precepts, bhikṣu precepts, and bhikṣuṇī precepts established by the Buddha were all intended to enable Buddha's disciples to eradicate the view of self, eliminate afflictions, and attain liberation. These precepts are also called the precepts of individual liberation (prātimokṣa): by upholding one precept, one is liberated from one portion of bondage.
Original text:世尊告曰。谛听。谛听。善思念之。吾当为汝具分别说。比丘。若有善男子善女人。于月十四十五日。说戒持斋时。到四部众中。当作是语。我今斋日。欲持八关斋法。唯愿尊者。当与我说之。是时四部之众。当教与说八关斋法。先教作是语。善男子。当自称名字。彼已称名字。便当与说八关斋法。
Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: Listen carefully, listen carefully, and contemplate and remember well; I shall now explain this in detail for you. Bhikṣus, if there are good men and good women who, on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the lunar month when the precepts are expounded and the fast is observed, go among the fourfold assembly and publicly declare: "On today's fasting day, I wish to uphold the eight precepts of fasting. I sincerely request the Venerable One to administer them for me." At that time, the Venerable One will personally transmit the eight precepts of fasting before the fourfold assembly. First, he instructs the precept-seeker to say: "Good man, you should state your own Dharma name." After the precept-seeker has stated his name, the Venerable One then transmits the eight precepts of fasting to him.
If one wishes to receive the eight precepts of fasting, one must request them from a monastic; this is called requesting the precepts. Since the precepts are obtained from the Three Jewels, one must request them from the Saṅgha Jewel among the Three Jewels; only when the precepts are transmitted by a monastic can one obtain the essence of the precepts. Laypeople absolutely cannot perform the precept-transmission ceremony in place of a monastic; otherwise it constitutes overstepping one's position, stealing authority and position, committing the offense of stealing from the Three Jewels. Moreover, laypeople cannot invite the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities to transmit and witness the precepts. The same applies to the three refuges and five precepts: they are all received from a monastic, and laypeople cannot substitute for them. Furthermore, if there is a monastic available to transmit the precepts, one cannot take them through self-vows before a Buddha statue, bypassing the monastic; otherwise one will not obtain the essence of the precepts. In places where there are no monastics, one may receive the eight precepts of fasting through self-vows.
Original text:是时。教授者当教前人作是语。我今奉持如来斋法。至明日清旦。修清净戒。除去恶法。若身恶行。口吐恶语。意生恶念。身三口四意三诸有恶行。已作当作。
Explanation: At this time, the instructing master transmitting the precepts teaches the precept-seeker to say: I now respectfully uphold the Tathāgata's fasting precepts, until tomorrow at dawn, cultivating pure precepts and eliminating evil dharmas. If I have committed evil bodily actions, uttered evil speech, or produced evil thoughts in the mind—the three evil bodily actions, four evil verbal actions, and three evil mental actions—all evil deeds already done and yet to be done, I now fully confess and disclose them all, without concealing anything.
Original text:或能以贪欲故所造。或能以瞋恚所造。或能以愚痴所造。或能以豪族故造。或能因恶知识所造。或能今身后身无数身。或能不识佛不识法。或能斗比丘僧。或能杀害父母诸尊师长。我今自忏悔。不自覆藏。依戒依法成其戒行。受八关如来斋法。
Explanation: Or evil deeds that may have been committed out of greed and desire, or out of anger and resentment, or out of ignorance and delusion. Or evil deeds committed deliberately out of reliance on one's noble family and prestigious surname, or evil deeds committed due to the teachings of bad spiritual friends, or evil deeds committed with this life's body, future lives' bodies, and countless bodies, or evil deeds committed from not knowing the Buddha and the Dharma, or evil deeds of sowing discord among the bhikṣu Saṅgha, or evil deeds of killing one's parents and all honored teachers. All of these evil deeds, I now confess myself, no longer covering or hiding them; relying on the precepts and relying on the Dharma, I perfect my practice of the precepts and receive the Tathāgata's eight precepts of fasting.
These contents are the confession text recited before receiving the precepts. By confessing and disclosing one's evil deeds, one can purify one's own mind and eliminate karmic offenses. Only when the karmic offenses have been eliminated and there are no obstructions can one receive the eight precepts of fasting, obtain the essence of the precepts, and perfect one's practice of the precepts. Among these, the gravest evil deeds are killing one's parents and teachers, followed by sowing discord among the Saṅgha and the evil deeds of disrupting the Three Jewels; the evil retribution for these evil deeds is extremely great. Some evil deeds are committed because one does not know the Buddha and the Dharma and cannot distinguish wholesome from unwholesome, true from false; some evil deeds are committed despite having encountered the Buddha and the Dharma, due to the false teachings of bad spiritual friends. Because of ignorance and inability to distinguish good spiritual friends from bad ones, one takes every word of the bad spiritual friend as an inviolable standard and follows it all exactly, thereby committing evil deeds, complying with all the afflictions of one's own mind, and even being influenced to give rise to new afflictions. Grave evil deeds require long-term, earnest confession to be eliminated; only afterward can wisdom arise, enabling one to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, to cease evil and cultivate goodness, with a pure mind.
Original text:云何为八关斋法。持心如真人。尽形寿不杀。无有害心。于众生有慈心之念。我今字某。持斋至明日清旦。不杀．无有害心。有慈心于一切众生。
Explanation: What are the eight precepts of fasting? One maintains one's mind like a true person—an arhat—never killing for the entire span of one's life, without any mind of harming, holding only thoughts of loving-kindness toward sentient beings. My name is so-and-so; I uphold this fast until tomorrow at dawn, keeping the precept of not killing, without a harmful mind, having loving-kindness toward all sentient beings.
Original text:如阿罗汉。无有邪念。尽形寿不盗。好喜布施。我今字某。尽形寿不盗。自今至明日持心。
Explanation: Like an arhat, without deviant thoughts, never stealing for the entire span of one's life, delighting in generosity (dāna). My name is so-and-so; for this entire life I will not steal, maintaining this thought from today until tomorrow.
Original text:如是真人。尽形寿不淫泆。无有邪念。恒修梵行。身体香洁。今日持不淫之戒。亦不念己妻。复不念他女人想。至明日清旦。无所触犯。
Explanation: Like such a true person, an arhat, never engaging in sexual desire for the entire span of one's life, without deviant thoughts, constantly cultivating pure brahma conduct, keeping the body fragrant and clean. Today I uphold the precept against sexual activity, neither thinking of my own wife nor thinking of other women, until tomorrow at dawn, violating nothing.
Original text:如阿罗汉。尽形寿不妄语。恒知至诚。不欺他人。自今至明日不妄语。我自今以后不复妄语。
Explanation: Like an arhat, never speaking falsely for the entire span of one's life, always knowing sincerity, never deceiving others. From today until tomorrow I will not speak falsely; from now on I will never speak falsely again.
Original text:如阿罗汉。不饮酒。心意不乱。持佛禁戒。无所触犯。我今亦当如是。自今日至明旦。不复饮酒。持佛禁戒。无所触犯。
Explanation: Like an arhat, not drinking alcohol, with the mind undisturbed, upholding the Buddha's prohibitive precepts and violating none of them. I too should be like this: from today until tomorrow at dawn, no longer drinking alcohol, upholding the Buddha's prohibitive precepts and violating none of them.
Original text:如阿罗汉。尽形寿不坏斋法。恒以时食。少食知足。不着于味。我今亦如是。尽形寿不坏斋法。恒以时食。少食知足。不着于味。从今日至明旦。
Explanation: Like an arhat, never violating the fasting discipline for the entire span of one's life, always eating at the proper time, eating little and being content, not attached to flavors. I too shall be like this: never violating the fasting discipline for my entire life, always eating at the proper time—no food after noon—eating little and being content, not attached to the sense object of taste, from today until tomorrow at dawn.
This is the eight precepts of fasting for one day and one night. Those with the conditions may uphold them for seven days and seven nights, or may take them every day—the merit is immeasurable. During the Buddha's time, arhats and all monastics ate one meal a day at noon, taking no food after midday. They devoted themselves full-time to cultivation, without worldly affairs, spending much time in seated meditation, with pure minds, so one meal a day at noon was easy to maintain. Some lay Buddhist practitioners can manage not eating after noon. In the Dharma-ending age, upholding the precept of not eating after noon is somewhat difficult; only retired lay practitioners without jobs can manage it, while those with jobs find it very hard. Monastics in monasteries, if monastery affairs are numerous and they cannot settle down, with little meditative concentration and impure minds, will also find it difficult to uphold the precept of not eating after noon. The Buddha established this precept so that practitioners would have pure minds, making it easier to cultivate and enter the Path. If one eats too much, first, it increases attachment; second, the stomach is constantly busy digesting food, so the mind is not pure and cannot concentrate on cultivating the Path and contemplating questions. Especially when eating at night, the stomach is busy digesting food and the mind is not tranquil; meditative concentration cannot arise and contemplative tranquility cannot be accomplished. Therefore, eating less benefits cultivation.
Does the Buddha Uphold the Precept of Not Eating After Noon?
Some people use the precepts to constrain the Buddha, requiring the Buddha to uphold the precept of not eating after noon; they not only do not make offerings to the Buddha in the evening, but not in the afternoon either. Why do these people treat the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas this way? Because ordinary sentient beings do not understand the realm of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and do not comprehend the essential meaning of the precepts; they regard the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as ordinary beings like themselves—moreover as human ordinary beings—so they assume that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas should, like human beings, uphold the precept of not eating after noon.
When the Buddha established this precept back then, it was so that practitioners would have pure minds, undisturbed by food and drink, able to cultivate continuously and apply effort uninterruptedly, without states of distraction and dullness that would impede cultivation. But this precept does not suit the Buddha and the great Bodhisattvas; even when the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas dwell in the human world in human form, they should not be limited by this precept, because first, the Buddha does not need to cultivate, and second, the Buddha possesses immeasurable superknowledges and powers of the Way, able to transform and dissolve food and drink—he may abstain from eating, or eat immeasurably, without affecting body or mind. However, the Buddha in the human world back then also did not eat after noon, as a demonstration and model for sentient beings; but before the heavenly beings, the Buddha was not restricted by the precept of not eating after noon, accepting the various offerings of the heavenly beings anytime and anywhere.
When the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are not in the human world, in the Buddha-lands where they reside, sunlight does not serve as the dividing line between day and night; moreover, one minute in other Buddha-lands equals many human days in the Saha world. So how should human morning and evening times correspond to the times of other Buddha-lands? In the heavens of the desire realm from the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven upward, there is no sun; there is natural radiance manifesting, with no need for sunlight. Therefore, above the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven there is no dark sky and no night; other Buddha-lands likewise have no dark sky or night, and the Buddha's worlds even more so have no such thing as night. The human precept of not eating after noon becomes utterly meaningless in a different spacetime, so when making offerings to the Buddha, one need not consider human times such as day and night.
Furthermore, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas possess immeasurable wisdom to determine whether to eat or not, how much to eat, and when to eat. How could the wisdom of ordinary beings presume to speculate upon and restrict the conduct of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Therefore, there is no time restriction on making offerings to the Buddha. In the Buddha's realm there is no time, no distinction between morning and evening. The Buddha receives offerings only to enable sentient beings to accumulate merit; He Himself needs nothing, and even if He did need something, He could transform it Himself, accomplishing it in an instant. The Buddha is also not restricted by precepts—with the Buddha's immeasurable wisdom, virtue, and capabilities, He long ago no longer needed any precepts to constrain Him. Human beings should not demand that heavenly beings, divine beings, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas share the same habits and customs as humans.
Human thinking is confined within the scope of human life and cannot understand the realms of beings beyond the human scope, nor those of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We who study Buddhism should strive to break through the narrow human thinking and realm, as well as various habits. Humans walk on two legs, while heavenly beings fly through the sky; we should not use the rules of human walking to regulate the behavior of flying heavenly beings, much less use the rules of human ordinary beings to restrict and regulate the mental conduct of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Compared with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, humans are like infants and toddlers, unable to understand and imagine the mental conduct and realm of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; that is why all kinds of misunderstandings and incomprehensions arise. We should strive to open our minds and broaden our horizons, break through the narrow, unreasonable, and immature thinking of ordinary beings as much as possible, and draw closer to the mental realm and behavioral norms of higher forms of life.
Original text:如阿罗汉。恒不在高广之床上坐。所谓高广之床。金银象牙之床或角床。佛座。辟支佛座。阿罗汉座。诸尊师座。是时。阿罗汉不在此八种座。我亦上坐不犯此坐。
Explanation: Like an arhat, never sitting on high, broad beds. The so-called high, broad bed refers to precious beds made of gold, silver, or ivory, or beds made of animal horns, or the seats where the Buddha sits, the seats where pratyekabuddhas sit, the seats where arhats sit, and the seats where honored teachers sit. The arhat does not sit on these eight kinds of seats, and I too do not sit on them, not violating this practice.
Why should one not sit on these beds? First, because one's own status is not noble or honored, sitting on them is inappropriate, unsuited to one's position—an overstepping of one's station. Second, it would increase one's arrogance. Third, it would consume and deplete one's merit. In daily life, in other matters as well, one should constantly consider things this way: not overstepping one's station, not wastefully depleting one's own merit, not increasing one's own arrogance; whatever one does should be appropriate, suited to one's status, circumstances, and blessings.
The "high, broad bed" mainly refers to the preciousness and luxury of the bed or seat, not to its size. Sitting in a precious, luxurious place represents a greedy mind that seeks enjoyment, wealth, and honor, which will give rise to the view of self and arrogance, and is not conducive to cultivating the Path. The seats where sages sit also count as high, broad beds, displaying the sages' nobility; no matter how humble these beds and seats may be, ordinary beings should not sit on them—it does not correspond to their own status and increases arrogance, and it is also disrespectful to the sages. Laypeople should also not casually sit on the beds and seats of monastics, and should not even lightly enter their dwellings; maintaining a sense of distance represents reverence and respect. Constantly revering and respecting the Three Jewels and revering the four kinds of sages generates immeasurable merit. Conversely, if one is disrespectful and irreverent, one will deplete immeasurable merit. Without merit, how can one cultivate the Path and attain the Way?
Original text:如阿罗汉。不着香华．脂粉之饰。我今亦当如是。尽形寿不着香华。脂粉之好。
Explanation: Like an arhat, not wearing fragrant flowers or adorning oneself with cosmetics. I too should be like this: for my entire life, not wearing fragrant flowers, not favoring rouge and powder, not adorning myself.
Ornaments of fragrant flowers and cosmetics include all items used to decorate the physical body. Apart from necessary clothing, they are all extra decorations; men have men's ornaments and women have women's ornaments, all for the purpose of adorning and beautifying the physical body, or for displaying one's status, position, and social class. Worn on the body, they all increase the view of the body and foster arrogance, making the mind impure and not conducive to cultivating the Path. They should all be removed, regardless of whether one upholds the precepts.
On the day of the eight precepts of fasting, not wearing fragrant flowers and garlands also includes all kinds of splendid, luxurious clothing adorned with gold, silver, and various ornaments, all kinds of high-end formal attire, as well as women's various clothes that reveal the figure and charm. Wearing such clothing increases arrogance, adds to the view of self and the view of the body, arouses people's desires, and is not conducive to cultivation. The clothing worn by monastics is all loose and ample, not revealing the figure, covering the body thoroughly, with colors that are dull and not bright. Even when the Buddha was in the world, His attire was very simple, not much different from what the bhikṣus wore. When no one offered Him clothing, He would also go to the charnel ground to pick up shrouds for wrapping corpses, dye them upon returning, patch them up, and wear them.
The Buddha was the supreme honored one of the three realms; there was no one in the world more honored than the Buddha, yet His life was so simple and low-key. By comparison, those ordinary beings who wear gold and silver are simply too extravagant, displaying their desires and attachments everywhere—how can they thus be liberated from the suffering of birth and death?
"How wonderful, the robe of liberation, the paṭa robe for prostration and repentance; I now receive it upon my head, may I wear it life after life." This is the verse recited when donning the robe (the plain robe, màn yī) upon receiving the precepts. What does this verse mean? The plain robe is a single rectangular piece of cloth, without the shape of a garment; draped over the body, it is fastened at the shoulder with buttons so it does not fall off. This cloth is also called the robe for prostration and repentance, worn when receiving precepts and repenting before the Buddha, and worn when reciting sutras and at Dharma assemblies. Putting on this robe represents having obtained the essence of the precepts; with the essence of the precepts, one can uphold the precepts, and because of upholding the precepts, one will in the future attain the fruit of liberation and enjoy the meritorious benefits of liberation. Therefore, only by receiving and upholding the precepts can one eradicate the view of self and attain liberation; without receiving and upholding the precepts, one cannot eradicate the view of self and cannot attain liberation. If one cannot eradicate the view of self, it also means one cannot see the mind and see its nature; neither the Great Vehicle nor the Small Vehicle can achieve anything. This is precisely the importance of the precepts.
Why Does the Eight Precepts of Fasting Not Permit Fragrant Flowers and Cosmetics?
This question should be considered from the reverse direction: why do so many people like to adorn their bodies with fragrant flowers and cosmetics? What is the meaning of adorning the body? For what do men and women decorate and dress themselves up? Because sentient beings lack an awakened mind, they do not reflect on or question their own and others' daily behaviors; they follow their habitual tendencies and all their thoughts, not knowing what kind of thoughts these are. All the thoughts of sentient beings are, in the final analysis, the view of the body and the view of the mind, which together constitute the view of self. Because the view of self is deeply entrenched, it manifests at all times and in all places; there is no thought of concealing it, nor the ability to conceal or restrain it, not knowing that this is a wrong view (mithyā-dṛṣṭi), something erroneous, that can cause one to fall into the pit of birth and death unable to extricate oneself, and even when the Buddha comes to save and draw one out, it is very difficult.
Taking the body as self is called the view of the body. Sentient beings subconsciously and unconsciously, at all times and in all situations, always attend to their own physical bodies, concerned with how others see them, how others evaluate them, how to make others accept them, like them, and revere them, and thus unconsciously seek to attract others' gazes and attention. People who are very attentive to their appearance all do so because of the view of the body: they like to pose and preen, their behavior is affected, they wear professional smiles, from time to time fiddle with their hair and hands, wipe their faces, adjust their clothing—a great many small gestures—all displaying a person's view of the body. The feeling of the body cannot be neglected for even a minute; at no time can one forget the body. One can see how heavy sentient beings' view of the body is.
If one knows what the view of the body is, one can observe whether others have the view of the body and how severe it is, and thereby know whether this person has severed the view of the body, whether they are a good spiritual friend, and whether what they teach can lead you to eradicate the view of self and walk the path of liberation. Because sentient beings are generally ignorant and unwilling to study the Buddhist sutras, they lack correct judgment, are easily deceived, take the false as true, and waste enormous time and energy on wrong paths. Not knowing what the physical and mental state and manifestations of eradicating the view of self are, neither the Dharma teachers nor the Dharma listeners can conceal their own view of the body and view of self, nor do they know how to conceal them—they cannot even fake it convincingly.
The Dharma teachers also know that sentient beings are ignorant and do not understand, so they do not deliberately disguise or conceal; thus it is the deluded delivering the deluded, and no one can climb out of the pit of delusion. The reason fraudsters flourish in the world is that the soil of the world is suitable—suitable for survival, suitable for breeding—and the suitable soil is the ignorance and unknowing of sentient beings. Thus it is the karma of sentient beings that summons and attracts the false and hypocritical people.
Now, returning to the main topic: the reason the Buddha established the precepts to constrain sentient beings' bodily, verbal, and mental actions is so that sentient beings can subdue their incorrect bodily, verbal, and mental actions and subdue their view of the body and view of self, laying the foundation for eradicating the view of self, laying the foundation for seeing the mind and seeing its nature, and also laying the foundation for meditative concentration. Therefore, if a person is unwilling to receive and uphold the precepts and does not abide by the precepts, meditative concentration will not arise; they will not subdue their own mind or reduce the view of self, will not eradicate the view of self, and will not see the mind and see its nature.
Those who have no meditative concentration and do not uphold the precepts, yet claim to have realized the fruits, seen the mind, and seen the nature—what fruit did they realize, what mind did they see, what nature did they see? So it is not surprising that some people who guide others to realize the fruits and see the mind call upon their followers to comply with afflictions, to abandon the marks of the precepts, and to stop upholding the precepts with marks. This is because their own afflictions are very heavy. To deceive all sentient beings by treating them all as fools is a very unwise move, for the Saha world is, after all, the Buddha-land of Śākyamuni Buddha, and sentient beings are Śākyamuni Buddha's people. With the Buddha's great compassion, how could He give up caring for and delivering sentient beings? How could He fail to support sentient beings, or allow them to be maliciously deceived?
Original text:我今字某。离此八事。奉持八关斋法。不堕三恶趣。持是功德。不入地狱饿鬼畜生。八难之中。恒得善知识。莫与恶知识从事。恒得好父母家生。莫生边地无佛法处。莫生长寿天上。莫与人作奴婢。莫作梵天。莫作释身。亦莫作转轮圣王。恒生佛前。自见佛。自闻法。使诸根不乱。若我誓愿向三乘行。速成道果。
Explanation: This passage is the vow and dedication of merit (pariṇāma): My name is so-and-so; may I be free from these eight things, respectfully upholding the eight precepts of fasting, not falling into the three evil destinies. By the merit of upholding the eight precepts of fasting, may I not enter the hells, the hungry ghosts, or the animal realm, nor the eight difficulties. May I constantly meet good spiritual friends and not associate with bad spiritual friends. May I always be born into a family with good parents, not born in frontier regions where there is no Buddha-Dharma, not born in the long-lived heavens, not be a slave or servant to others, not become a Brahmā, not take the body of Śakra, nor become a wheel-turning sage king. May I always be born before the Buddha, see the Buddha myself, hear the Dharma myself, and keep my six faculties undisturbed. If I vow to practice toward the Three Vehicles, may I quickly accomplish the fruits of the Way of the Three Vehicles.
This passage of vow and dedication of merit is very important, showing that all vows will be fulfilled: one can choose for oneself what to do and what not to do in future lives, and the benefits are immeasurable. Therefore, by making such vows, the wishes for future lives will automatically come true, and the fruits of the Way will be quickly and naturally accomplished.
Original text:比丘当知。若有优婆塞．优婆夷。持此八关斋法。彼善男子善女人。当趣三道。或生人中。或生天上。或般涅盘。是故诸比丘。若有善男子善女人。欲持八关斋。离诸苦者。得善处者。欲得尽诸漏入涅盘城者。当求方便。成此八关斋法。
Explanation: Bhikṣus, you should know: if there are upāsakas and upāsikās who uphold these eight precepts of fasting, those good men and good women will tend toward three destinies: either born among humans, or born in the heavens, or attaining parinirvāṇa. Therefore, bhikṣus, if there are good men and good women who wish to uphold the eight precepts of fasting, who wish to be free from all suffering, to be born in good destinations, and to exhaust all defilements and enter the city of nirvāṇa, they should seek the skillful means to accomplish these eight precepts of fasting.
This passage describes the meritorious retribution of receiving and upholding the eight precepts of fasting. Why can receiving and upholding the eight precepts of fasting free one from suffering and attain liberation, exhaust all defilements, and enter nirvāṇa? These eight precepts can gather in body and mind, keeping the mind from turning outward and the body from moving chaotically; in this way, one can both subdue afflictions and eliminate karmic obstructions, and also give rise to meditative concentration and merit. Not killing, not stealing, no sexual activity, not lying, not drinking alcohol—these can subdue the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, avoid the karma of the three evil destinies, prevent falling into the three evil destinies for retribution, and prevent being bound by evil karma, so that life after life one studies the Buddha-Dharma in the three good destinies, thus attaining the Way quickly.
Upholding the precept of not eating after noon reduces the food in the stomach, sparing it excessive work, allowing the mind to be pure and to concentrate on contemplating the Buddha-Dharma; meditative concentration and wisdom easily arise. Not sitting on high, broad beds prevents arrogance and does not consume merit, so merit accumulates quickly, and with merit, cultivation is easily accomplished. Not applying fragrant flowers and cosmetics makes it easy to subdue and eradicate the view of the body and view of self, thereby attaining liberation. Thus these eight precepts can eliminate the defiled afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion; when afflictions are exhausted, one can attain liberation and enter nirvāṇa.
Judging from the meaning and function of the precepts, without receiving and upholding the precepts, it is fundamentally impossible to realize the fruits and eradicate the view of self; even the aspiration toward the first fruit (srotāpanna-phala-pratipannaka) could not occur. Nowadays, many Buddhist practitioners do not care about receiving and upholding the precepts; they never take the initiative to receive the precepts, nor do they value meditative concentration, only liking to absorb theoretical knowledge, with no intention of being down-to-earth and cultivating genuinely and practically. Their cultivation goals are not clear, and their diligence is never sufficient. People in this state are beginner Buddhists; the vast majority in Buddhism are such people. With these people, one cannot discuss the matters of realizing the fruits and seeing the mind and seeing its nature. Yet in reality, it is precisely such people who casually claim, or are certified as having, realized the fruits and seen the mind—this is an extremely abnormal phenomenon in Buddhism. Where does the problem lie? One should think actively about it, to avoid falling into the same pit in the future.
