What Conduct of a Bodhisattva Constitutes an Offense

《菩萨优婆塞五戒威仪经》原文：菩萨如是见如是语。菩萨不应乐于涅槃。应背涅槃。不应畏烦恼。不应灭烦恼。何以故。菩萨三阿僧祇往来生死故。如是语者。犯重垢罪。

Original text of the Bodhisattva Upāsaka Five Precepts Code of Conduct Sūtra: A bodhisattva who holds such views and speaks such words... (original text retained)

Explanation: If a bodhisattva holds such views and speaks such words, he commits a grave defiled offense: a bodhisattva should not delight in and cling to nirvāṇa, but should turn his back on nirvāṇa. A bodhisattva should not fear afflictions, nor should he eliminate afflictions. Why is this said? Because a bodhisattva must traverse birth and death throughout three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas. One who speaks thus commits a grave defiled offense.

This is because although a bodhisattva delights in nirvāṇa, he does not enter nirvāṇa; with a pure mind he leads sentient beings in cultivation and guides them to liberation. A bodhisattva should not turn his back on nirvāṇa and harbor a defiled mind of afflictions, for a defiled mind can harm the bodies and minds of sentient beings, making it impossible to deliver them, and unable to exert a positive influence on sentient beings. If a bodhisattva turns his back on nirvāṇa, he will sink into birth and death, unable to save himself, let alone save sentient beings. If he himself is not liberated, how can he enable sentient beings to be liberated?

A bodhisattva's attitude toward afflictions should be this: a bodhisattva should fear afflictions and should eliminate afflictions; he must eliminate afflictions, yet not eliminate them completely. If he eliminates them completely, he will realize the fourth fruit of arhatship and, upon the end of his life, will necessarily enter nirvāṇa without remainder, thereby abandoning sentient beings and the Buddha Way. If a bodhisattva does not eliminate afflictions, he cannot save himself, so how could he save sentient beings? Therefore a bodhisattva must also eliminate afflictions, realizing the first, second, and third fruits, eliminating afflictions to the degree of the third fruit, but should not eliminate them completely and realize the fourth fruit.

It is sufficient for a bodhisattva to cultivate to the third fruit within the Small Vehicle; this is enough for him to reach the stages of the first through seventh bhūmi bodhisattvas in his Mahāyāna cultivation, without impeding his bodhisattva career, and it makes it even more convenient to deliver sentient beings. When he cultivates to the seventh bhūmi, he then, under the Buddha's blessing power, eliminates afflictions completely, realizes the eighth bhūmi, yet does not enter nirvāṇa without remainder. Although a bodhisattva cultivates and delivers sentient beings throughout three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, he cannot wander through the three realms with a body of afflictions; otherwise he cannot guarantee a human or heavenly body, and thus cannot liberate himself, let alone deliver sentient beings.

原文：何以故。如菩萨乐于涅槃。畏于烦恼。比于声闻。千万倍不可为喻。何以故。声闻之人顺自为己。菩萨常为一切众故。菩萨虽处有漏。于灭烦恼而得自在。过于罗汉处无漏者上。

Original text: Why is this so? If a bodhisattva delights in nirvāṇa and fears afflictions, compared with a śrāvaka, it is beyond ten million times in measure... (original text retained)

Explanation: Why is this said? Because if a bodhisattva delights in and clings to nirvāṇa and fears afflictions, his mental conduct is still stronger than that of a śrāvaka by far more than ten million times. Why? Because a śrāvaka, after all, follows his selfish nature and considers only himself, disregarding the birth and death of sentient beings, whereas a bodhisattva always considers all sentient beings. Although a bodhisattva dwells amid tainted afflictions, he is nonetheless completely at ease in eliminating afflictions—afflictions can be eliminated instantly at will, because the last trace of affliction is deliberately retained. Therefore a bodhisattva surpasses the arhat who dwells in the untainted state.

原文：若菩萨起身口业。应自防护。莫使他人慢惰罪。若故不自护。使他惰罪者。犯重垢罪。若不作意自护。放散所作。生他罪者。犯轻垢罪。不犯者。若外道。若随出家如法所作。若值多嗔恶人。是名不犯。

Original text: If a bodhisattva engages in bodily and verbal actions, he should protect himself... (original text retained)

Explanation: When a bodhisattva is about to engage in bodily and verbal actions, he should protect himself well, not producing evil conduct that would cause sentient beings to ridicule him, thereby giving rise to contempt in sentient beings, to the point that they incur offenses through irreverence. If a bodhisattva deliberately fails to guard his bodily and verbal conduct, causing sentient beings to commit offenses of irreverence, the bodhisattva commits a grave defiled offense. If a bodhisattva does not make a special effort of intention to guard his bodily and verbal actions, but is lax and unrestrained, letting his body and mouth act at will, causing others to produce evil, he commits a minor defiled offense.

There is no offense committed if: he encounters followers of non-Buddhist paths and rebukes their non-Buddhist practices and false dharmas, in which case there may be conflicting bodily and verbal conduct, and this does not constitute an offense; or the bodhisattva leaves home in accordance with conditions, and his bodily and verbal conduct accords with reason and Dharma, in which case there is no offense; or he encounters many hateful, evil people, and in order to discipline these evil people, does not restrain his bodily and verbal conduct, resulting in verbal or physical conflict—this does not constitute an offense.

Speaking of this, if a person's bodily, verbal, and mental actions are habitually careless, displaying very obvious afflictions of the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion, and he frequently causes sentient beings to slander and belittle him, which then leads them to slander the Three Jewels, the Buddhist sutras, the Dharma principles, and other bodhisattvas—is such a person a qualified bodhisattva, and does he commit offenses? Such a person is not a qualified bodhisattva and commits a grave defiled offense. If a person, through his own impure bodily, verbal, and mental actions, causes a great number of sentient beings to slander, even to slander the Dharma, is the evil not immense? It is immense. If a person deliberately, with extremely great afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, causes a great number of sentient beings to slander the Dharma and lose faith in the Dharma, is he not of the demon's faction? He is of the demon's faction. Those who knowingly maintain the demon's faction, knowing it has greed, hatred, and delusion and harms sentient beings, are accomplices and are equally guilty.

Therefore, to judge whether a person is a true bodhisattva or a good teacher (kalyāṇamitra), one must consider from all angles, not looking at only one aspect while disregarding the rest. Among these, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are the most important criteria for evaluation; they most expose a person's essential nature, are most revealing, and have the greatest influence, bearing on the credibility and prestige of Buddhism, as well as its rise and decline. Therefore every Buddhist learner must pay attention to purifying his bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and must never create evil karma of greed, hatred, and delusion.