T2348 The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition and The Collected Teachings of the Tendai Lotus School

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THE ESSENTIALS OFTHE VINAYA TRADITIONTHE COLLECTED TEACHINGS OFTHE TENDAI LOTUS SCHOOL

THE ESSENTIALS OF THE VINAYA TRADITION THE COLLECTED TEACHINGS OF THE TENDAI LOTUS SCHOOL

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BDK English Tripitaka 97-1, II The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition by

Gyonen

Translated from the Japanese (Taishô, Volume 74, Number 2348) by

Leo M. Pruden The Collected Teachings of the Tendai Lotus School by

Gishin

Translated from the Japanese (Taishô, Volume 74, Number 2366) by

Paul L. Swanson Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 1995

Copyright

© 1995 by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the publisher. First Printing, 1995

ISBN: 0-9625618-9-4

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-068461 Published by

Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 2620 Warring Street

Berkeley, California 94704

Printed in the United States of merica

A Message on the Publication of

the English Tripitaka

The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha's basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was addressed.

Ever since the Buddha's Great Demise over twenty-five hundred years ago, his message of wisdom and compassion has spread throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the translations available to the many English-speaking people who have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha's teachings.

Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings in a few years. I have, therefore, had one hundred thirty-nine of the scriptural texts in the prodigious Taisho edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation project.

It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved, revised edition will appear in the future.

It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West, v

Editorial Foreword

Message

this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and every person in the world. August 7,1991

NUMATA Yehan

Founder of the English Tripitaka Project

Editorial Foreword

In January, 1982, Mr. NUMATA Yehan, the founder of the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), decided to begin the monumental task of the complete translation of the Taisho edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon into the English language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee was organized in April, 1982, and by July of the same year the Translation Committee of the English Tripitaka (Scriptures) was officially convened.

The initial Committee consisted of he following thirteen members: HANAYAMA Shoyu (Chairman); BANDO Shojun; ISHIGAMI Zenno; KAMATA Shigeo; KANAOKA Shuyu; MAYEDA Sengaku; Nara Yasuaki; SAYEKI Shinko; (late) SHIOIRI Ryotatsu; TAMARU Noriyoshi; (late) TAMURA Kwansei; URYUZU Ryushin; and Y UYAMA Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: Kanazawa Atsushi; WATANABE Shogo; Rolf iebel of ew Zealand; and Rudy Smet of Belgium.

Holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee has selected one hundred thirty-nine scriptures and texts for the First Series of translations, an estimated one hundred printed volumes in all. Scriptures and texts selected are not necessarily limited to those originally written in India but also include works written or composed in China or Japan. All the volumes in the First Series are scheduled for publication within the twentieth century. While the publication of he First Series proceeds, the scriptures and texts for the Second Series, which is expected to be published in the following ten- or twenty-year period, will be selected from among the remaining works; this process will continue until all the scriptures and texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published. Frankly speaking, it will take perhaps one hundred years or more to accomplish the English translation of the complete vii

Publisher’s Foreword

Editorial Foreword

Chinese and Japanese scriptures and texts, which consist of thousands of works. Nevertheless, as Mr. NUMATA wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue unto completion, even after all its present members have passed away. It must be mentioned here that the final object of this project is not academic fulfillment but the transmission of the teaching of the Buddha to the whole world in order to create harmony and peace among mankind. I

More than eighty Buddhist scholars in the West and in the East, all well qualified to be translators of the Chinese and Japanese scriptures and texts, have agreed to translate certain selected works. It is really a great pleasure for the Committee to announce that more than forty-five translations have already been received as of the end of September, 1992. The present members of the Translation Committee of the BDK English Tripitaka are H a n a y a m a Shoyu (Chairman); B a n d o Shojun; ISHIGAMI Zenno; ICHISHIMA Shoshin; KAMATA Shigeo; KANAOKA Shuyu; MAYEDA Sengaku; NARA Yasuaki; SAYEKI Shinko; TAMARU Noriyoshi; IJRYUZU Ryushin; and YUYAMA Akira. Assistant members are WATANABE Shogo and SUZUKI Koshin. Commemorating the ninety-fourth birthday of Mr. NUMATA Yehan, the Committee published the following three texts in a limited edition in April, 1991:

(1) The Lotus Sutra (Taisho No. 262)

(2) The Sutra on Upasaka Precepts (Taisho No. 1488) (3) The Summary of the Great Vehicle (Taisho No. 1593) In December, 1991, the Publication Committee headed by Prof. Philip Yampolsky was organized. New editions of the above volumes and the remaining texts will be published under the supervision of this Committee. (

September 10,1992

H a n a y a m a Shoyu

Chairman

Translation Committee of

the BDK English Tripitaka

vui

Publisher's Foreword

In December, 1991, at the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research in Berkeley, California, a publication committee was established for the purpose of seeing into print the translations of the Buddhist works in the BDK Tripitaka Series. This committee processes the translations forwarded for publication by the Translation Committee in Tokyo. It performs the duties of copyediting, formatting, proofreading, indexing, consulting with the translator on questionable passages—the routine duties of any publishing house. No attempt is made to standardize the English translations of Buddhist technical terms; these are left to the discretion of he individual translator. Represented on the committee are specialists in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Japanese who attempt to ensure that fidelity to the texts is maintained. The Publication Committee is dedicated to the production of lucid and readable works that do justice to the vision of the late Mr. NUMATA Yehan, who wished to make available to Western readers the major works of the Chinese and Japanese Buddhist canon.

Dr. Leo M. Pruden, the translator of The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition (Risshü-Kôyô), passed away in October, 1991. Thus there was no opportunity to consult with him during the preparation of the manuscript for publication. The manuscript, however, remains substantially as Dr. Pruden left it. In some instances an important text is too brief to justify publication as a separate volume. This is the case with Professor Paul L. Swanson's translation of The Collected Teachings of the Tendai Lotus School (Tendai Hokke-shü Gishü), which is also included in this volume. There is no direct connection between the two works except that they were both written by Japanese monks IX

Table of Contents

Publisher's Foreword

and are both contained in volume 74 of the Taisho Tripitaka; they are printed together here as a matter of convenience. "Taisho" refers to the Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo (Newly Revised Tripitaka Inaugurated in the Taisho Era), which was published during the period from 1924 to 1934. This consists of one hundred volumes, in which as many as 3,360 scriptures in both Chinese and Japanese are included. This edition is acknowledged to be the most complete Tripitaka of the Northern tradition of Buddhism ever published in the Chinese and Japanese languages. As with all books in the BDK Series, the series number on the spine and title page of each work corresponds to the number assigned to it by the Translation Committee of the BDK English Tripitaka in Tokyo. A list of the volumes is appended at the end of each volume.

Those participating in the work of the committee are Diane Ames, William Ames, Brian Galloway, Nobuo Haneda, and the Reverend Kiyoshi S. Yamashita.

July 1,1995

Philip Yampolsky

Chairman

Publication Committee

Contents

A Message on the Publication of the English Tripitaka NUMATA Yehan V

Editorial Foreword HANAYAMA Shöyü vii Publisher's Foreword Philip Yampolsky ix The Essentials of he Vinaya Tradition Gyönen 1-164 The Collected Teachings of the Tendai Lotus School Gishin 1-167

A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripitaka (First Series)

xi

THE ESSENTIALS OF THE VINAYA TRADITION

( I (

BDK English Tripitaka 97-1 THE ESSENTIALS OF THE VINAYA TRADITION by

Gyönen

Translated from the Japanese (Taisho, Volume 74, Number 2348) by

Leo M. Pruden Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 1995

I

Contents

Translator's Introduction Leo M. Prüden 1 The Life of Gyonen 2 Gyônen's Literary Works 3 The Contents of the Risshü-Kôyô 5 Preface Gyonen 11 First Question 17 Second Question 21 Third Question 22 Fourth Question 23 Fifth Question 24 Sixth Question 25 Seventh Question 26 Eighth Question 32 Ninth Question 34 Tenth Question 37 Eleventh Question 39 Twelfth Question 40 Thirteenth Question 41 Fourteenth Question 43 Fifteenth Question 45 Sixteenth Question 47 Seventeenth Question 48 Eighteenth Question 49 Nineteenth Question 52 Twentieth Question 56 Twenty-first Question 59 Twenty-second Question 61 Twenty-third Question 63 Twenty-fourth Question 65 Twenty-fifth Question 66

Translator’s Introduction

Contents

Twenty-sixth Question 67 Twenty-seventh Question 69 Twenty-eighth Question 74 Twenty-ninth Question 79 Thirtieth Question 81 Thirty-first Question 82 Thirty-second Question 87 Thirty-third Question 89 Thirty-fourth Question 91 Thirty-fifth Question 92 Thirty-sixth Question 96 Thirty-seventh Question 98 Thirty-eighth Question 106 1. India 106

2. China 111

3. Japan 122

Glossary 143

Index 153

Translator's Introduction

The monastic life of the Buddhist Sangha has always been the framework within which the great Buddhist masters and teachers have developed their dogmatic systems. Given the emphasis on the three learnings, slla, samadhi, and prajha (precepts on morality, meditation, and wisdom), by all schools of Mahayana Buddhism, the study of the monastic precepts forms the traditional starting point of the formal study and practice of Buddhism. Regardless of this, Western scholarship, perhaps looking for points of similarity with Western theology, has laid almost exclusive emphasis on the transcendental or abstract aspects of the Buddhist religion and has almost completely ignored Buddhist insights into ethics and morality.

Buddhist scholarship in recent years has flourished largely in Japan. Yet while the Japanese lead the world in Buddhist scholarship, their work often reflects social trends within their country. With the decline and virtual disappearance of Buddhist monasticism in Japan, the attention of Japanese Buddhist studies has turned away from this once important aspect of their tradition. Today studies of uddhist ethics, of uddhist monastic institutions, and of he Vinaya tradition are almost completely lacking in Japan. In September of 1960 I began my formal study of Buddhism in Los Angeles by reading, with a group of friends, Gyonen's Essentials of the Eight Traditions (Hasshu-Koyo). This work has long been considered a standard introductory text with which to begin the study of his religion and its various philosophies. The reading was conducted under the guidance of the then Mr. and now Dr. UNNO Taitetsu, who gave unselfishly of his time to us three students. My curiosity was aroused as I read the section of the Hasshu-Koyo on the Risshu or Vinaya tradition of Japan. From that time on, regardless of the press of other studies, I kept 1

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

searching for some further reference work or study on this tradition. Since I had acquired an acquaintance with Gyonen's writing style through the Hasshu-Koyo, in September of 1964 I read his Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition (Risshu-Koyo) for the first time and found that as far as my interests were concerned, an understanding of this work would serve admirably as a guide to the study of the Vinaya tradition. It was with this thought that I began this present work.

In October of 19641 was privileged to be able to go to Japan for further study of Buddhism; and from September of 19651 was able to read the Risshu-Koyo with Professor HlRAKAWA Akira of the Department of Indian and Buddhist Studies at Tokyo University. It is his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Vinaya tradition that has made this translation possible. This present work is cordially and warmly dedicated to him, with the realization that the errors it contains are my own responsibility.

It would not be out of place here to mention a few of the kalyana-mitras who have indirectly contributed to the realization of this project: Professor Stanley Weinstein, presently at Yale University, who, while not directly connected with my studies, has often encouraged me through his infectious enthusiasm for the study of Mahayana Buddhism; Professor NAGATOMI Masatoshi, who, despite a pressing teaching and research program, always found time to give me very sound corrections and suggestions; the Rev. Dr. HlRAOKA Jokai, incumbent of the Kami-no-bo of the Todai-ji temple, who on several occasions treated me with graciousness and courtesy and who helped me greatly with facts about the Todai-ji temple; and numerous other friends and students, whose interest in the study of Buddhism makes our efforts worthwhile. The Life of Gyonen

Gyonen (March 6, 1240-September 5, 1321), the author of the Risshu-Koyo, was bom in the province of Iyo, on the island of Shikoku, of reputed Fujiwara lineage. At the age of eighteen he 2

Translator's Introduction

formally entered the religious life under the tutelage of the master Ensh5 of the Kaidan-in temple in the huge monastic complex of the Todai-ji temple. It was here that he received full ordination (gusoku-kai) at the age of twenty. Gyonen studied Vinaya texts under the masters Shogen and Join, Tendai and mikkyd under the master Shoshu, and Kegon under the master Shusho. Consequently when Gy5nen speaks of these men with reference to the Risshu tradition in Kamakura Era Japan, he is speaking of men he knew personally.

In 1259 or 1260 he returned to Ensho in the Kaidan-in. Thereafter for a period of approximately ten years Gyonen shared his masters' tasks of lecturing and teaching.

In 1276 Gyonen lectured on the Hua-yen-ching (Jp. Kegon-gyo) in the main sanctuary, the Daibutsu-den, of the Todai-ji. In the following year, he succeeded to the abbotship of the Kaidan-in upon the death of Ensho. Gyonen then devoted himself to lecturing and administering the precepts. His fame in scholarship attracted the attention of the ex-Emperor Go-Uda, who on one occasion lodged in Gyonen's temple, and who received the Mahayana precepts from him. Gyonen thus received the title of "kokushi" or "National Imperial Teacher." On one occasion Gyonen was invited to the Palace and there lectured on the Hua-yen-ching Wu-chiao-chang. In 1291 Gyonen gave a well-attended series of lectures on the Lotus Sutra at the Kongozan-ji near Nara.

In 1316 Gyonen succeeded Shinjo as abbot of the Toshodai-ji, a position he held for five years. In 1320 Gyonen returned to the Kaidan-in, where he died the following year at the age of eightytwo. His ashes were divided; part rest even today behind his beloved Kaidan-in, and part rest next to his master Ensho on Mt. Jubi. Gyonen's Literary Works

Although Gyonen's life would appear dull if judged by worldly standards, his intellectual life and written output were tremendous. The Shôshüshôshô-roku (a two-kan bibliography of various 3

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

monks' writings compiled in 1790 by one Kenjun), written 469 years after Gyonen's death, ascribes to him a total of 94 works in 918 kan, including works dealing with Kegon (31 works in 469 kan), Risshu (34 works in 223 kan), Jodo (16 works in 116 kan), Hosso (8 works in 84 kan), and Shingon (5 works in 36 kan; all of Gyonen's Shingon works are commentaries on select volumes of Kukai's Jujushinron). The Honchb-Kbsoden (Dai Nippon Bukkyo Zensho CII, pp. 246^47) lists 21 works attributed to Gyonen; the Ritsuon-Shoboden (DNBZ CV, pp. 278-79) lists 33 such works. The Kaidan-in burned down in a fire on the 23d of July, 1567, and a large portion of Gyonen's manuscripts were permanently lost. Of a recorded total of some thirty-four works dealing with the Vinaya tradition or Risshu, only some six remain, and two of these are incomplete.

The first is the Un'u-sho in one kan (DNBZ CV). Written in 1276, this work is a history of the Vinaya tradition with reference to the role of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya.

Second is the Bommo-kyo-sho Mokujusho, originally in eighty kan. The fifty-one extant kan are in T. 62, No. 2247; forty-four kan in Gyonen's own hand exist in manuscript in the Todai-ji Library. Composed by Gyonen in 1277 and revised by him in 1284 and again in 1319, this is a subcommentary on Fa-tsang's commentary on the Bommo-kyo (Fan-wang-ching).

Third is the Risshu-Keikansho, originally in sixty kan. Only one kan, the sixth, is extant (see the DNBZ CV). The extant volume (dated February 1306) gives an exhaustive bibliography of works written by various masters of the Lii-tsung (Vinaya tradition, Risshu) in China and of the Vinaya masters' transmission of this tradition from India to China and Japan. By September, 1368, it was lamented that only one kan remained of this work; see the Bussho-kaisetsu-daijiten XI, 208d. This work is close to the Risshu-Koyo in language and in content. Is the Risshu-Koyo an abbreviated version of this work?

Fourth is the Tsuju biku zange ryoji fudoki in one kan; written in 1306, it is now preserved in T. 74, No. 2355. This work is about the zange or confession ceremonies composed by Kakujo (of the 4

Translator's Introduction

Toshodai-ji) and Eison (of the Saidai-ji), and how they agree in doctrine but differ in externals. Its first printed edition is dated 1618, and it is this printed edition that serves as the basis for the Nippon-daizokyo edition.

Fifth is the Risshu-Koyo in two kan. It was composed in 1306 (Kagen 4), and the (first?) printed edition is dated 1660 (Manji 3). KITAGAWA Chikai mentioned by way of a commentary to this work a Risshu-Koyo kage (by himself? See the Bussho-kaisetsu-cLaijiten XI, 209a). This 1660 edition and the edition in the Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo (T. 74, No. 2348) are the editions used in this present translation.

Sixth is the Shibun-kaihon-sho San-shu-ki in twenty kan, preserved in the Nippon-daizokyo Shojb-ritsu-shosho, Vol. 1. This is Gyonen's subcommentary on Ting-pin's (see the Twenty-ninth Question) commentary on the Dharmaguptaka pratimoksa. Of these twenty kan, the first ten were written in 1310, the remaining ten in 1312.

The Contents of the Risshu-Koyo

The contents of the Risshu-Koyo are broadly divided into two parts, the doctrines of the Risshu and its history.

Gyonen's Preface deals with the significance of sila (precepts) within the overall scheme of Buddhism and especially within the Mahayana. The First Question deals with the relationship of the threefold pure precepts to the three learnings of sila, samadhi, and prajha; and the scriptural sources of the learning of the precepts. The Second Question introduces the ways of receiving the precepts: receiving all of the threefold pure precepts at once, or receiving only the first of these threefold precepts, the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline. The precept that embraces all the rules of discipline is discussed with reference to the seven types of Buddhist believers, from laymen to fully ordained monks or nuns (Third Question), and with reference to the Hinayana precepts of the sravaka (Fourth Question). The Fifth Question 5

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

deals with the difference between receiving all of the threefold pure precepts and the receiving of only the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline.

The Seventh Question deals with the scriptural sources of the threefold pure precepts.

The Eighth Question treats of the differences between the threefold pure precepts as taught in the Ying-lo-ching and as taught in the Chinese translation of the Yogacara-bhumi, the Yii-ch'ieh-lun. This is followed by an elucidation of the differences between the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline in the Ying-lo-ching and the one in the Yii-ch'ieh-lun. The Ninth Question deals with mental action and its relation to the threefold pure precepts.

There now follows a discussion of variant traditions of the minor precepts found in other Mahayana works: the relationship between the forty-eight minor precepts of the Fan-wang-ching and the forty-four minor precepts of the Yii-ch'ieh-lun (Tenth Question); the "eighty-four thousand rules of conduct" (Eleventh Question); the relationship between the four major precepts and the forty-four minor precepts (Thirteenth Question); and the four hundred bodhisattva precepts taught in the Yao-shih-ching (Fourteenth Question). This section ends with a discussion of the various types of minor bodhisattva precepts (Fifteenth Question) and of the teaching of receiving only the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline (Sixteenth Question).

The subject matter now shifts to the chiao-p'an (Jp. kyo-han) or doctrinal classification that the Lii-tsung or Vinaya tradition in China establishes. This is introduced by an enumeration of the masters or patriarchs of the Lii-tsung in China, followed by Taohsuan's doctrinal classification of the four teachings, the three insights, and the three traditions (Eighteenth Question), and his view of the three learnings in the Mahayana.

The Nineteenth Question deals with the major orthodox texts of the Lii-tsung, and the Twentieth Question gives ten reasons for the Buddha's promulgating sila and the Vinaya Pitaka. 6

Translator's Introduction

Tao-hsiian's teaching of the three insights is now taken up again (Twenty-first Question) in greater detail, followed in the Twenty-second Question by a discussion of what Dharma it is that constitutes the teaching of the Buddha.

There now follows a more detailed study of the precepts; why one would undertake the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline in lieu of all the threefold pure precepts (Twenty-third Question); an etymology of the threefold pure precepts (Twentyfourth Question); etymologies of Vinaya, sila, and pratimoksa (Twenty-fifth Question); and an enumeration of the seven classes of persons that constitute the Sangha (Twenty-sixth Question). Here follows a discussion of the chieh-t'i (Jp. kai-tai) problem, i.e., what dharma it is that constitutes the essential existence of the precepts (Twenty-seventh Question). The concept of "substance" or "nature" is viewed in the context of dharma, nature, practice, and external features; its nature, vijhapti, and avijhaptirupa are discussed, as is the nature of the precepts embodied in the pratimoksa. This section concludes with a discussion of variant theories concerning the nature of the precepts (Twenty-eighth Question), and with mention of the nature of all the threefold pure precepts.

The Twenty-ninth Question addresses itself to the Vinaya Pitaka, specifically to the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline, the purport of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, the purport or content of one's receiving all the threefold pure precepts (Thirtieth Question), and the inner structure of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya Pitaka (Thirty-first Question).

The religious path relevant to the Lii-tsung is now presented: on the basis of the premise that all sentient beings possess the Buddha nature (Thirty-second Question), the religious path is divided into either four or fifty-two stages (Thirty-third Question); and their interrelationship is discussed (Thirty-fourth Question). The practice of all four stages is discussed; the stage of understanding (Thirty-fifth Question), the stage of insight, the stage of meditation, and the stage of the Ultimate.

7

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

Since, in Buddhism, progress in the religious life is described with reference to the quantity and the quality of the hindrances temporarily put down or totally extirpated, the Thirty-sixth Question introduces the topic of those hindrances: the two bodies within which one cuts off the hindrances; the hindrances of illusions (klesa-âvarana) and the hindrances of knowledge (jneya-âvarana) (Thirty-seventh Question); the four abiding realms of delusion; the separate passions of discrimination; the accompanying passions; the hindrance of knowledge; the grossness or minuteness of these two types of hindrances; the putting down and cutting off of the hindrances; those hindrances that are cut off; and the truths one is enlightened to in the stage of insight, in the stage of meditation, and in the stage of the Ultimate.

The second major division of the Risshü-Kôyô is the section dealing with the history of the Vinaya tradition in India, China, and Japan.

The transmission of the Vinaya lineage in India is narrated (Thirty-eighth Question), and the narration is then supplemented by quoting the sectarian lineages given in the Mahâsânghika Vinaya and in the Shan-chien-lun, the Chinese translation of the Samânta-pâsâdikâ. These are contrasted with a similar Dharma lineage of the Sarvàstivàdins.

The early development of a Vinaya tradition in China is traced, beginning with the introduction of Buddhism into China and the first ordination of bhiksus and bhiksunis (monks and nuns), The early practices of ordaining monks and nuns according to the Dharmaguptaka karma-vacana and of simultaneously reciting the Mahâsânghika prâtimoksa at the twice monthly uposatha are mentioned, as is the eventual translation of the complete texts of various Vinaya Pitakas.

Studies of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya resulting in the crystallization of a Dharmaguptaka Vinaya sectarian tradition are related; the accepted lineage of the nine Dharmaguptaka Vinaya tradition's masters or patriarchs is given; and this tradition's division into the three scholastic traditions of Tung-t'a, Hsiang-pu, and the Nan-shan Lü-tsung is described.

8

Translator's Introduction

The traditional account of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan continues the narration, followed by Tao-hsuan and Chienchen going to Japan. The establishment of first the Kaidan-in and subsequently the Toshodai-ji is narrated, followed by a description of the construction of the three official ordination platforms (kaidan) in Japan, as well as that of the ordination platform of the Toshodai-ji.

The lineage of Risshu masters in Japan in the generations after Chien-chen is given, special attention being paid to the activities of Jippan, Jokei, Kakujo, and Eison. Kakujo's major disciples are listed as well as the major disciples of Eison. This section of the Risshu-Koyo then concludes with a narration of the activities of Shunjo and his major disciples.

9

Contents

5a Preface

The great Vinaya Pitaka assembles all the teachings and cannot be fathomed; the broad practice of slla embraces all the paramitas and is difficult to calculate. The five realms of elusion are quickly extinguished by means of the practice of the precepts; the mental entanglements of the two types of death are forever cut off by means of the pratimoksa.

The precepts are a bejewelled boat to cross the river of desire, a divine carriage to traverse the mountains of atred, a proximate cause of ntering the citadel of nlightenment (bodhi), and a direct path leading to the realm of the Buddhas. Further, because of the precepts, the sustaining power of the Three Jewels leading all sentient beings to Enlightenment is ever new; the saving virtue of the vehicles of the five classes of beings is tremendously great. The spreading about in the world of the scriptures and their commentaries is due solely to the power of the Vinaya; the cutting off of doubts by meditation and wisdom is due exclusively to the power of practicing the precepts. The precepts are truly the essentials by which the teaching is protected and the Sangha is kept in order. They are the model for teaching and saving all sentient beings. They are the level path to Enlightenment and Nirvana. They are an excellent model of the four wisdoms and of the three bodies [of the Buddha].

It is only the teachings of the precepts that in large measure penetrate to the most subtle points. Now we shall present these teachings in outline and roughly reveal their principles. The establishment of the purport of the teaching has significance. The forest of the Dharma is luxuriant, and the rain clouds of the principles are torrential, but out of this [teaching that is likened to a] forest and [to] billows of waves we can only narrate 11

5b The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

[this work] by discussing the "leaves" [of the forest] and other such traces.

A complete outline of the precepts and of the Vinaya Pitaka is extremely deep and very broad; the universe constitutes its object, and all of space constitutes its measure. It permeates both phenomenon and noumenon; it embraces both outer characteristics and inner nature. It envelops both the Absolute and the Conventional [levels of Truth]; nothing is omitted. It includes both emptiness and existence; nothing is left out.

The empyrean is deep and profound, embracing everything within it. Since it is the Ultimate, [we can only say] that it is contained herein [i.e., in the study of the precepts]. Now the teachings of the true Way of the Mahayana are vast and numerous; in the quest of the religious life, the minds of all men are varied and different. The perfect tradition is broad and vast; the vehicle of the Buddha is profound and mysterious. In sudden Enlightenment, when one's capacity matures, the One Path is straightaway revealed; but when one's nature and [external] conditions have not yet matured, then a separate "expedient means" is set up.

For this reason, within the One Buddha Vehicle, the three vehicles are preached. On the basis of these individual three vehicles, one's nature and capacities are trained, and finally the great Way of the basic One Vehicle is entered. Although the appropriate conditions differ for sudden Enlightenment and for a gradual progression, both are reconciled in the One Vehicle, and all enter into the One Nature.

The purpose of the Tathagata's appearing in the world, his Enlightenment, his conversion of mankind—the purport of all these lies in the Vinaya Pitaka. The follower of the Mahayana enters speedily into the Great Path. Producing the mind of Enlightenment, he looks forward to Buddhahood. With broad and expansive compassion he establishes relations with all sentient beings. He practices the six paramitas, the four universal vows, the three learnings, the fourfold [means for the salvation of all sentient 12

Preface

beings], and the benefitting of himself and others. His vows and their subsequent practices are perfected.

When both his cutting off [of passions] and his Enlightenment are totally completed, then Buddhahood is accomplished. When the four wisdoms are perfected, when the four qualities are perfectly arranged, and when the three bodies [of the Buddha] are fully possessed, then the great functioning [the activity that proceeds from Enlightenment] will always appear.

This is none other than the perfect teaching of the One Vehicle. If the mind of Enlightenment is awakened, spiritual progress in the religious life is far-ranging and broad, automatic and unhindered. The great functioning is without limits, and the work of salvation is never completed.

Although the characteristics of the numerous practices of benefitting [oneself and others] are without limit, they always follow the three learnings [i.e., the precepts, meditation, and wisdom] . When one possesses them fully, one progresses [in the religious life]. The grades of practice in religious training are truly thus.

When one first enters into the Dharma of the Buddha, faith is to be regarded as primary. Next one receives the precepts in order to guard against actions of evil. If the bulwark of the precepts is firm, then the waters of meditation will be calm and clear. Putting down passions and delusions and not letting them arise again will cause the great, pure wisdom to appear automatically. The seeds of delusion are soon cut off without any exception whatsoever. As for this marvellous wisdom, when one is enlightened to these principles, a profound fusion [between the object thus perceived and the subject of this perception] takes place. The meritorious actions of the three teachings in the Mahayana are thus. The learnings of the bodhisattvas' precepts fall into three groups. As it says in the first volume of the Kuei-ching-i: Should we now begin [our religious practice], we should first venerate the tradition of the precepts. Of the precepts there 13

5c The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition are basically three, the causes of the three bodies [of the Buddha].

First is the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline, which may be said to cut off all evil. This is none other than the cause of the Dharma Body. This is because the Dharma Body is essentially pure, but if obscured by evil it is not revealed; so if one practices successfully this separating from evil, such qualities [as the Dharma Body] will appear.

Second is the precept that embraces all good dharmas, which may be said to be the practicing of all acts of good. This is none other than the cause of the Body of Recompense, for recompense is attained by the accomplishment of all good. In the accomplishment of good, there is nothing higher than the ceasing of evil and the doing of good. Now, it is the practice of the two good acts of ceasing from evil and doing good that bring about the conditions for the Buddha of Recompense. Third is the precept that embraces all sentient beings, which is none other than having compassion and the desire for the salvation of all sentient beings. The merit of this brings about the cause of the Buddha of Transformation. The Buddha of Transformation, without conscious effort, responds according to the feelings of all sentient beings; hence the great compassion of one practicing this precept saves all sentient beings. His intention and his activities are equal. All practices are embraced within these threefold precepts. The precept that embraces all the rules of discipline is the path of putting an end to evil. From the first production of mind [i.e., the first thought directed to attaining Enlightenment] up to the result that is Buddhahood, evil action is guarded against, and all infractions [of the moral code] are ended. The seeds of delusions are crushed, and their appearance is not generated. Truly, the seeds of 14

Preface

delusions are cut off, and any remaining influences are completely eliminated.

Even the casting off of one's mortal body [subject to the] permutations [of the mind], and subject to [karmic] retribution, and the casting off of dharmas that, although unhindered, are impure, etc.—all these are characteristics of the practice of the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline. The precept that embraces all good dharmas is the path of practicing good. From the first production of he mind [of Enlightenment] until the final, ultimate result is attained, all good acts are embraced and practiced and various practices are cultivated. Of all practices, of all good deeds, none are omitted.

Stillness of mind, wisdom; the path of ceasing evil, the path of putting down, of cutting off; the path of action, the path of good— all these are the instruction of cultivating the practice of good. The twofold adornments of fortune and wisdom, practices generated by a bodhisattva having the four wisdoms that are acquired through the attainment of Enlightenment, teachings revealed by the Absolute Truth of the two emptinesses—all these are obtained with Enlightenment. Such teachings as these are all the precept that embraces all good dharmas.

The precept that embraces all sentient beings: all practices are the path of action, as the ways of benefitting (i.e., saving) all sentient beings are numberless and varied. They are all produced [by the bodhisattva]. Acquired wisdom; relative wisdom; skill in expedient means; saving all sentient beings and embracing all beings; the great compassion of the bodhisattva replacing pain— such actions are all the precept that embraces all sentient beings. These are called the threefold pure precepts of the bodhisattva. Both broad and profound, they are likened to mountains and seas. All actions are embraced within these threefold [precepts]. All virtues are included; this constitutes the teaching of the precepts. 15

r

First Question

First Question

If all learnings are included within the learning of the precepts, what constitutes the learnings of meditation and wisdom? Answer: The contents of the three learnings of the Mahayana include one another; when one is raised, all the others are included within it without any exception.

In general, the learning of the precepts embraces all actions; the learning of meditation also embraces all actions; and the learning of wisdom embraces all acts of good.

Each separate teaching [in Buddhism] is common to the three learnings. So although we may speak of the "three learnings," they are individually made up of all actions. But because the paths to Enlightenment differ, they [all actions] have been divided into the "three learnings. " Within the rules for the prohibition of evil, there are the teachings of positive good—this is meditation and wisdom. Within meditation and wisdom there are the teachings of the prohibition of evil—this is the learning of the precepts. All the characteristics of the various phenomena interpenetrate one with another; they are definitely not separated one from another. Right mindfulness and right intention create the supreme benefit [Enlightenment]; to reside in right views benefits all sentient beings. Accordingly, as they benefit all sentient beings, right mindfulness and intentions constitute the learning of meditation and wisdom. It is for this reason that benefitting all sentient beings is called the learning of meditation and wisdom. Right views and right thoughts themselves benefit all sentient beings. Never to abandon the basic principles of supreme meditation and supreme wisdom is none other than the task of supreme mercy and the supreme conversion of all sentient beings.

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6a The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

From the first thought of Enlightenment, one gradually and more profoundly evolves toward the Supreme. Both inner nature and outer activities become firm and immovable; they are mutually penetrating and mutually inclusive—unhindered, one strives freely.

Now, within the one true Mahayana teaching it is said of the precepts that one precept is identical to all the precepts and that the learning of meditation and wisdom does not exist without the learning of the precepts.

The mind of one is the mind of all; the learnings of the precepts and wisdom do not exist without the learning of meditation. The wisdom of one is the wisdom of all; the learnings of the precepts and meditation do not exist without wisdom. The precepts, meditation, and wisdom are all obtained within one mind. One thought and all the three learnings are mutually interpenetrated without hindrance. One act constitutes all actions, and one instant (ksana) may span many aeons.

The one and the many completely embrace one another; an instant and an aeon mutually interfuse. They enter into all quarters perfectly and completely.

Because of this principle, the threefold division of all actions constitutes the learnings of meditation and wisdom. The aspects of meditation and of wisdom of all the various good actions constitute the threefold division of the precepts.

Although all actions are completely embraced within this threefold division of the precepts, it is because the precepts [primarily] constitute this path that this is called the Vinaya tradition. Of all the teachings or practices of the Mahayana, each teaching or practice possesses the teaching of the precepts. Among the various scriptures and commentaries, many speak thus about the characteristics of all the various actions. Beginning with the Three Refuges, and finally ending in Buddhahood, each of the various stages of the bodhisattva's path has its practice of the precepts.

In the various stages of the bodhisattva who is still in the causal state, the causes of the precepts are perfected. The result of 18

First Question

the practice of the precepts is perfected in the highest realm, the stage that is the result [Buddhahood].

Among the seven holy gifts is the holy gift of the precepts. Among the ten inexhaustible stores is the store of the precepts. Among the three learnings, the learning of the precepts is the first. Among the six paramitas, the paramita of the precepts is the second. Among the ten stages of faith is the mind of the precepts. In the Hua-yen-ching, the sermon on the ten faiths has a chapter on pure conduct; the sermon on the ten abodes has a section on divine conduct; and among the ten types of divine conduct, the precepts are the essence of practice. Of the ten paramitas within these ten grades of conduct, the second is the paramita of the precepts.

As for the ten paramitas of the ten realms, [as one advances spiritually] one totally possesses all previous paramitas. Each stage contains all other stages to perfection. Before the stage of faith, in the stage of faith, and in the threefold wise stages and the ten realms, each and every stage in the bodhisattva's career contains the practice of the precepts.

Not for one moment, not for one instant, are they separated from the precepts, for without the precepts there are no bodhisattvas. When one arrives at the realm of Buddhahood, all the various practices are perfected, their many qualities are perceived, and they are all completely perfected. These many qualities that constitute the result [Buddhahood] all come from the practice of the precepts.

Buddhahood contains all the various aspects of the precepts. The fivefold Dharma Body has a Precept Dharma Body. Among the adornments of fortune and wisdom is the adornment of the precepts. In attaining the thirty-two major marks of a Buddha, there are no separate causes to be practiced. The precepts are its essence. These are the marks of the Transformation Body [of the Buddha].

When one has attained the body [of the Buddha] which is attained for the enjoyment of others, there are eighty-four thousand marks and rays of light emanating from his [thirty-two] 19

Second Question

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

major and [eighty] minor marks. In attaining the infinitely vast number of characteristics of the Tenfold Lotus Flower Enclosure [of Vairocana Buddha], there are no separate causes to be practiced, for they are all due to the power of the precepts. Yet among the various separate causes [leading to the attainment of the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of a Buddha] is the merit of the precepts.

In this way, the meritorious teachings of cause and effect all [come down to] the practice of the precepts and are created by the qualities of the precepts.

In the causes and the result of the bodhisattva's career, both his internal Enlightenment and his external benefiting of all sentient beings are created through his practice of the precepts. 2 0

Second Question

Second Question

6b What a bodhisattva of the perfect One Vehicle tradition [of Mahayana Buddhism] receives [as precepts] and what he practices as the marvellous cause [leading to] Buddhahood are these great threefold precepts. What are the characteristics of his receiving of these precepts?

Answer: A bodhisattva's aspirations are broad and deep; his practice and understanding are lofty and far-reaching. He does not discard any single precept that is to be received; he does not neglect any single practice that is to be practiced. All the practices, and the vast number of paramitas, are to be practiced. The precepts must be universal and without limit, all-embracing, and inexhaustible. The characteristics of the principles of the Mahayana are truly thus.

Based on these principles, there are two methods of carrying out the rituals of receiving these great precepts. First is the "general receiving," so called because all the threefold precepts are received. This is none other than the karmavacana ritual. The master Uijok established this name because it appeared in the Chan-ch'a-ching. This is also called "receiving all the precepts," since one receives all the threefold precepts. The Ts'u-en master [K'uei-chi] and T'aehyon initiated the use of this term.

Second is the "separate receiving of the precepts." From among the threefold precepts, only the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline is undertaken, as this one precept exhausts all aspects of the bodhisattva's religious practice. All teachers together have established the usage of this term.

2 1

Third Question

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

Third Question

Why is it that only the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline can be received separately? Why is it that the other two groups of precepts—those that embrace all good dharmas and all sentient beings—cannot be received separately? Answer: The one precept, the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline, sets up seven groups of persons within the Sangha. The Buddha, for the sake of the sravakas, pointed out that within the One Vehicle this precept legislates all the precepts. The seven groups of persons within the Dharma of the Buddha are established in this manner.

Now the bodhisattva has always possessed all the precepts of this one group within the threefold precepts. Originally the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline of the threefold precepts sets up the seven classes of persons. The teachings of the "general receiving" of all the threefold precepts is thus also classified into its various grades.

Neither the precept that embraces all good dharmas nor that which embraces all sentient beings possesses this principle. Hence these latter two are not received separately.

2 2

Fourth Question

Fourth Question

In receiving all the threefold precepts, the seven groups of persons are already delineated within the Sangha. Why then is it necessary to receive the "separate ordination"?

Answer: The ritual of the "separate receiving of the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline" is the same as [the ordination ritual] of the sravakas. The reason it is the same [for the followers of the Mahayana] as three vehicles is because such is the custom of this Saha world.

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Fifth Question

The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

Fifth Question

Of the two types of receiving the precepts—the "general receiving of all the threefold precepts" and the "separate receiving of the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline"—which is of long duration, and which is of short duration?

Answer: The ritual receiving of all the threefold precepts lasts forever. The separate receiving of the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline lasts only for the lifetime of the individual. 24

Sixth Question

Sixth Question

Why would the bodhisattva make use of a teaching that lasts only one lifetime?

Answer: Both the practice and the understanding of the bodhisattva are broad and deep; he may practice endlessly; such would be his long practice. However, there is also the teaching that lasts only one lifetime. The bodhisattva is free to choose a precept that lasts either a long or a short time. He may accomplish its practice in any way he intends, because, be it one teaching or many teachings, there is no limitation for him.

Should he wish to practice it forever, he makes use of the receiving of all the threefold precepts. Should he wish to practice for just one lifetime, he makes use of the separate receiving of the precepts.

Whether it be for a long or for a short duration, he follows his own intentions, and the teaching [i.e., the precept] will correspond to this.

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Seventh Question

6c The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

Seventh Question

The threefold pure precepts are based upon what texts? Answer: The threefold precepts have their origin in the Huayen-ching, but a fuller explanation of their characteristics is taught in various places in later Mahayana scriptures and commentaries. The Hua-yen-ching speaks of three types of precepts, but their names are not given. Commentators upon this scripture, however, narrated the principles of the threefold precepts. The Fan-wang-ching contains the principles of the threefold precepts, but it does not specifically give their names. The various masters who have commented upon this text and the principles of this scripture explain in greater detail the aspects of the threefold pure precepts.

The Hsien-shou master [Fa-tsang], commenting upon the Fanwang-chieh-ching, said, "All the threefold pure precepts constitute the Vinaya tradition." He made a correspondence between the ten major prohibitive precepts given in this scripture and the threefold precepts.

The master T'aehyon, in commenting on the scripture of the forty-eight [minor precepts, i.e., the Fan-wang-ching], stated that each one of the forty-eight precepts fully contains the teachings of the threefold precepts.

The Fan-wang-ching was the first sermon of the Buddha; the Ying-lo-pen-yeh-ching was preached twenty-eight years after the Enlightenment of the Tathagata.

In the chapter "On the Names of the Wise and Holy" in the first volume of this [i.e., the Ying-lo-ching] scripture, the ten major precepts are preached, while in the chapter "On Cause and Result" in the last volume the six paramitas are taught. Within these precepts the threefold precepts are elucidated in greater detail; 26

Seventh Question

these are "the self-nature precepts," "the precepts to receive the good dharmas," and "the precept to benefit all sentient beings." In the chapter "Instruction for the Multitude" it says: O sons of the Buddha! Now on behalf of the various bodhisattvas I shall compile the fundamentals of all the precepts. These are the so-called teachings on receiving the threefold precepts.

"The precept that embraces all good dharmas" is the teaching of the eighty-four thousand dharmas.

"The precept that embraces all sentient beings" refers to compassion, mercy, joy, and equanimity and to extending one's converting influence to all sentient beings and thus causing them all to obtain [the ultimate] bliss. "The precept that embraces all the rules of discipline" refers to the ten parajikas.

The threefold precepts are taught in the Shan-chieh-ching; however, there are extended and abbreviated editions of this precept scripture. The extended text in nine volumes teaches the six paramitas in full. The chapter on the precepts is in the first half of the fifth [volume]. In "The Paramita of the Precepts" it is taught that there are nine characteristics. The second characteristic is called "all precepts." Within these all the threefold pure precepts common to both monks and laity are taught. In explaining these threefold precepts it states, "First, there are the precepts; second, there is the precept [about] receiving all the good dharmas; and third, there is the practice of the precepts in order to benefit all sentient beings." Here the characteristics of the threefold precepts are taught in detail.

There is also the one-volume Shan-chieh-ching scripture. It is this scripture that the Hsien-shou master [Fa-tsang] referred to by the name Ch'ung-lou chieh-ching [The Precept Scripture Likened to a Double-Storied Pavilion].

As that scripture teaches, after one receives the three groups of precepts—the five precepts, the ten precepts, and full ordination— one then receives the bodhisattva's precepts. Here the bodhisattva's 27

7a The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

precepts mean all the threefold precepts. In presenting the threefold precepts it says, "the precept that embraces all paths to Enlightenment, and the precept that benefits all living sentient beings. . . . " These are none other than the two precepts that embrace all good dharmas and that embrace all sentient beings. This scripture has its origins in the karma-vacana ritual in the ordination ceremony [in which one takes] the bodhisattva precepts. Consequently it only presents the twofold [precepts, as above] and abbreviates the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline. Thus it follows from the above sentences that one receives everything [when one receives] the bodhisattva's precepts. This scripture teaches an abbreviated outline of the karmavacana ritual. A description of the precepts is more fully presented within the eight major precepts of the monastic bodhisattva. These correspond to the four major precepts taught throughout the Fanwang-ching. Later [in the Fan-wang-ching] some forty-odd items of the minor precepts are taught. These are in large measure identical to the minor precepts taught in Yii-ch'ieh-lun. The expanded version of the Shan-chieh-ching expounds in greater detail the threefold precepts, and yet it does not teach the characteristics of the four major and forty minor precepts. These characteristics of the threefold precepts are largely similar to those taught in the Yii-ch'ieh-lun and the Ti-ch'ih-lun. The threefold precepts are taught in the Chan-ch'a-ching. In narrating the threefold precepts it states, "the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline, the precept that embraces all good dharmas, and the precept that embraces and converts all sentient beings. . .

These are explained more fully in the first volume of this scripture. The bodhisattva produces the mind of Enlightenment and learns the Way of the Mahayana; confessing his transgressions, he extirpates his transgressions. He makes a self-vow and [by means of this self-vow, he] receives all the threefold pure precepts.

When he has received the fundamental ten major prohibitive precepts of the bodhisattva, the teaching of the precepts is 28

Seventh Question

completed. This is none other than being called a bhiksu, bhiksuni, sramanera, or sramanerika, etc. Each one studies the Vinaya Pitaka of the sravakas as well as the Matrka of the bodhisattvas, etc.

The description of the practice of receiving all [the threefold precepts] is now clearly understood and given in ample detail. The threefold precepts in other scriptures, whether stated in the text or implied in principle, are scattered throughout various texts and are in no way unified. However they may be known through this [description given above].

The threefold pure precepts of the various Mahayana commentaries are very broad in their terminology, their principles, their practice, and their explanations. Nevertheless, they are most profound when taught in the Yii-ch'ieh-lun. This is the fundamental Matrka.

In the first, the "Pen-ti" section [of this commentary], the six paramitas in the realm of the bodhisattva are taught in full. Within the paramita of the precepts, a ninefold classification of the precepts is taught. [The one called] "all the precepts" is the threefold precepts. These are the precepts kept by both lay and monastic bodhisattvas. Each one receives the threefold precepts and practices them in all its aspects. The text of the "Chueh-tse" section on the paramita of the precepts goes into very great detail and illustrates it quite clearly.

The precepts are discussed in detail in other portions of the text too, wherever there is need for it.

The Ti-ch'ih-lun is a variant translation of [the section that deals with] the realm of the bodhisattva in the "Pen-ti" [i.e., the first] chapter of the Yu-ch'ieh-lun. For this reason it does not have the [following] "Chiieh-tse" chapters, etc.

In the chapter on the teaching of the precepts in the She-tach'eng-lun, [the precepts are] regarded as "distinguished" (vasista). Here too the threefold precepts are taught.

In the ninth volume of the Ch'eng-wei-shih-lun, the threefold precepts are explained in their essentials in an abbreviated form.

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The Essentials of the Vinaya Tradition

Also in the section dealing with the second realm in the Shih-ti-lun, as well as in other commentaries, wherever there is an opportunity, the precepts are taught in either an expanded or an abbreviated manner.

Both the expanded and the abbreviated versions of the Shanchieh-ching are the same as the Yii-ch'ieh-lun. Both texts of the Shan-chieh-ching are the preaching of the Tathagata himself. The Yii-ch'ieh-lun and the Ti-ch'ih-lun were preached by Maitreya. The reason that these are the same [in their teachings regarding the precepts] is because when the Tathagata initially preached the Shan-chieh-ching, Maitreya heard it in person. Some nine hundred years after the extinction of the Tathagata, Maitreya transmitted to the world this teaching that he had personally heard while the Buddha was in this world. It is for this reason that the Yii-ch'ieh-lun is identical to the Shan-chieh-ching. Broadly speaking, the precept section of the Yu-ch'ieh-lun assembles all the teachings of the precepts taught by the Tathagata throughout all the Mahayana scriptures and so constitutes one large store of teachings about sila. In it, the ninefold [classification of the precepts] and the threefold precepts are enlarged upon and reconciled [into a harmonious whole] without hindrance. It is both broad and deep, and all [teachings of the precepts] are included within it. It is not only the Mahayana but also the Vinaya legislated by the Hinayana. This is because the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline is made up of the precepts binding upon the seven groups of persons that constitute the Sangha. The Mahayana includes the Hinayana, as the three vehicles [i.e., the teachings of the sravaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the bodhisattva] are all practiced [by the Mahayanist], [Hinayana precepts] have always been the bodhisattva's own Dharma; the Hinayana is identical [in this sense] to the Mahayana; and [the Mahayanist] does not see the [precepts as] Hinayana. It is for these reasons that the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline in the Yu-ch'ieh-lun is completely given over to the Vinaya Pitaka [of the Hinayana].

30

Seventh Question

7b Therefore, as it says in the seventy-fifth volume of this text, "And again you must know that the Vinaya of the bodhisattva is in outline the threefold precepts. First is the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline. This group of Vinayas is the practice of the Vinaya that the Blessed One preached for the benefit of all sentient beings to be converted by the sravakas. Know then that this is none other than this group of Vinayas [i.e., the first of the threefold]."

This means that all precepts taught in the various Vinayas, such as the Fourfold [Dharmaguptaka Vinaya] and the Fivefold Vinaya [of the Mahisasakas], are identical to the precept that embraces all the rules of discipline. The characteristics of this precept and of the practices [of the Hinayana Vinaya Pitakas] are very much the same.

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