Why Does the Eight Precepts Observance Prohibit Applying Fragrant Flowers or Perfumes to the Body?

To approach this question from the opposite perspective, why do so many people enjoy anointing their bodies with fragrant flowers? What is the significance of anointing the body? For what purpose do men and women adorn and beautify themselves? Sentient beings, lacking an awakened mind, do not reflect upon their own and others' daily behaviors, do not question themselves, and instead follow their own habitual tendencies and all their thoughts, unaware of the nature of these thoughts. Ultimately, all thoughts of sentient beings boil down to the view of self in the body (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) and the view of self in the mind, which together constitute the view of self (atta-diṭṭhi). Because the view of self is deeply ingrained, it manifests constantly and everywhere; there is no intention to conceal it, nor can they conceal it or restrain it. They do not recognize this as erroneous, as a wrong view, capable of plunging them into the pit of birth and death, from which they cannot extricate themselves, making it difficult even for the Buddha to rescue them.

Identifying the body as the self is called the view of self in the body (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). Sentient beings, unconsciously and subconsciously, constantly attend to their physical forms in every situation and at all times, concerned with how others perceive them, evaluate them, how to make others accept them, like them, revere them. Consequently, they unconsciously seek to attract others' attention and notice. Those who are extremely meticulous about their appearance all possess the view of self in the body. Behaviors such as primping and preening, affected mannerisms, professional smiles, frequently touching their hair and hands, wiping their faces, adjusting their clothing—an excessive number of small gestures—all reveal a person's view of self in the body. They cannot ignore the sensation of the body for even a minute; they cannot forget the body at any time. This demonstrates how heavily the view of self in the body weighs upon sentient beings.

If one understands what the view of self in the body is, one will be able to observe whether others possess it and how severe it is. Then one will know whether such a person has severed the view of self in the body, whether they are a true spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra), and whether their teachings can guide one to eradicate the view of self and set one on the path to liberation. Because sentient beings are generally ignorant and unwilling to study the Buddhist scriptures, they lack correct judgment and are easily deceived, mistaking the false for the true, wasting immense time and energy on the wrong path.

Not knowing the mental and physical state, the mental and physical manifestations, of one who has severed the view of self, neither the Dharma teacher nor the listener can conceal their own view of self in the body or view of self. They also do not know how to conceal it; even their pretense is unconvincing. Dharma teachers also know that sentient beings are ignorant and do not understand, so they do not deliberately pretend or conceal. This shows that it is the foolish leading the foolish; neither can escape the pit of ignorance. The reason deceivers flourish in the world is because the soil of the world is suitable—suitable for survival, suitable for proliferation. This suitable soil is the ignorance and lack of wisdom of sentient beings. Therefore, it is the karma of sentient beings that attracts hypocrites, drawing hypocrites to them.

Returning then to the main topic, the reason the Buddha established precepts to restrain the physical, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings is precisely to enable them to subdue their incorrect physical, verbal, and mental actions, to subdue their view of self in the body and view of self, laying the foundation for severing the view of self, laying the foundation for realizing the mind and perceiving the true nature (明心见性), and also laying the foundation for meditative concentration (dhyāna). Therefore, a person who is unwilling to receive and uphold the precepts, who does not abide by the precepts, will not attain meditative concentration, will not subdue their own mind, will not reduce the view of self, will not sever the view of self, and will not realize the mind and perceive the true nature.

Those without meditative concentration, who do not uphold the precepts, yet claim to have attained fruition (证果) or realized the mind and perceived the true nature—what kind of fruition have they attained? What mind have they realized? What nature have they perceived? It is therefore not surprising that some who guide others to attain fruition and realize the mind advocate that their followers should yield to defilements, should abandon the form of the precepts (戒相), and should not observe precepts with form. This is because their own defilements are very heavy. To deceive all sentient beings by treating them as fools is an extremely unwise act. After all, the Sahā World is the Buddha's land; sentient beings are the Buddha's people. How could the Buddha, with his great compassion, abandon his care for and guidance of sentient beings? How could he not support sentient beings? How could he allow sentient beings to be maliciously deceived?