大乘理趣六波羅蜜多經

FASCICLE 5

Chapter 6: THE PERFECTION OF PURE MORAL DISCIPLINE

After the Blessed One, amid the great assembly, had roared the lion’s roar and fully expounded the perfection of generosity, the great bodhisattva Maitreya respectfully joined his palms and said:
“Great Sage, Blessed One! You have taught that practitioners of the Great Vehicle must open their hearts to vast loving-kindness and compassion in order to practice the perfection of generosity. How, then, should the perfection of pure moral discipline be practiced so that it may be fulfilled? What is pure moral discipline? Against which faults does it guard? How should it be upheld so that it becomes pure? If moral discipline is upheld purely, what fruits will be received in the present and future lives? And how should it be upheld in order to realize unsurpassed bodhi? May the Blessed One distinguish and explain these matters for the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings.”
At that time, the Tathagata—Worthy One, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Those to Be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One—praised the great bodhisattva Maitreya:
“Excellent, excellent! For immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas, you have upheld pure moral discipline. For the benefit and happiness of sentient beings, you have asked about this meaning. Listen clearly and consider it well; I shall distinguish and explain it for you. Good men and good women who cultivate the Great Vehicle and wish to fulfill the perfection of pure moral discipline should arouse this vast resolve: ‘Out of compassion for all beings, I shall neither fear the hells nor seek rebirth in the heavens, and I shall uphold the precepts without seeking liberation for myself alone.’
“They should further reflect with right mindfulness: ‘Formerly, I made this vow: if I see any sentient being violating the precepts, I shall encourage that being steadfastly to uphold pure moral discipline and to adorn the body with the Buddha’s pure moral discipline as a jeweled necklace. If I do not uphold moral discipline myself, what moral discipline could I use to benefit sentient beings?’ For this reason, they encourage others to uphold moral discipline.

Otherwise, how could they lead all sentient beings to unsurpassed bodhi? Why is this? Ordinary beings are themselves impure and violate the precepts.

Although their mouths proclaim the True Dharma and exhort others to uphold moral discipline, in the end they themselves transgress it. Thus, others do not believe them but instead scorn them, saying: ‘If you wish to teach others to uphold pure moral discipline, why do you not uphold it yourself, but instead violate the precepts? Considering this, you ought to uphold moral discipline.

If you do not, then although words issue from your mouth, they do not even enter your own ears. Since you are continually scorned by others in this way, how can you exhort anyone to uphold pure moral discipline?’
“Therefore, know that one must first restrain one’s own body, abandon heedlessness, and steadfastly uphold the perfection of pure moral discipline. Only afterward should one teach others the essentials of the True Dharma. Upon hearing them, sentient beings will believe and follow; having gained faith, they will uphold the Buddha’s moral discipline fully and purely until they realize unsurpassed bodhi.
“Maitreya! Any being who arouses the vast aspiration for bodhi for the sake of all beings among the five destinies and four modes of birth, even if that being upholds only a single precept, is said to have entered the Buddha’s perfection of pure moral discipline and can attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening.
“Maitreya! When great bodhisattvas cultivating the Great Vehicle see sentient beings fallen into evil destinies, they must cultivate the perfection of pure moral discipline in order to rescue them from those sufferings and establish them on the farther shore of nirvana. Yet in their practice, bodhisattvas encounter three great obstacles: anger, stinginess, and defiling desire.
“Anger can cause the mind of loving-kindness and compassion to regress. The mind of great compassion is the root of every practice leading to bodhi. Through the power of great compassion, one does not even dream of killing; how much less would one kill living beings while awake in order to eat their flesh!
“A stingy mind cannot give. It begrudges its own possessions while coveting the wealth of others. Therefore, great bodhisattvas regard wealth as they would a venomous snake and never become attached to it.
“Defiling desire is not a pure practice; one must therefore keep far away from the mire of the five desires. Craving is the source of all suffering. It obstructs the six perfections and can burn up the aspiration for bodhi.”
The Blessed One then spoke these verses:
“The beguiling nature of women deludes people;
Like an enemy feigning affection, let it not draw near.
Craving confuses the mind and destroys purity,
Like a torrent that sweeps away a stone wall.

“The nature of women is exceedingly flattering,
Like water following its current, unstable by nature;
Always thinking that another will steal her husband—
The wise, reflecting carefully, should keep far away.

“Like a lordly white elephant on the Snowy Mountain,
Whose mighty trunk uproots towering trees:
On seeing a female elephant, his mind becomes intoxicated,
And he is driven into a trap and subdued.

“Like a deer that eats grass and drinks clear water,
Able to cross distant mountain ravines:
A hunter imitates the call of a deer,
And seeking the sound, it comes and is killed at once.

“Like a honeybee that craves the fragrance of flowers,
While the odor of a rutting elephant spreads abroad:
The bee, craving it, swarms over and smells the elephant’s body,
But is struck by its ear, falls, and dies.

“Like a lamp that blazes where there is no wind,
A mayfly, taking its light for something desirable, rushes in;
Entering the fire, it burns its own body—
Through craving and attachment, one loses one’s life likewise.

“The five sense objects tightly bind the bodies of beings;
Each object harms people like a poison.
Those who accept this teaching should reflect carefully:
They are an accumulation of suffering, devoid of happiness.

“The water of merit in Lake Anavatapta,
Once it flows into the sea, can no longer be drunk;
Losing its eight flavors, it becomes bitter and salty—
By associating with women, one loses wholesome Dharma.”
The Buddha told Maitreya:
“Therefore, know that one should not even dream of intimacy with women, much less engage in sexual conduct with them while awake!
“Furthermore, after abandoning these three obstacles, a great bodhisattva should cultivate the ten pure precepts: three pure precepts pertaining to the body, four pure precepts pertaining to speech, and three pure precepts pertaining to the mind.
“The three bodily precepts are not killing, not stealing, and refraining from sexual misconduct.
“What is not killing? If one sees a sentient being being harmed, one should compassionately go to its rescue or use one’s wealth to ransom and free it. If it cannot be ransomed, one should offer one’s own body and life in its place; how much less would one kill it oneself!
“Not stealing means that even in a dream, a great bodhisattva has no thought of stealing another’s possessions, much less the intention to take them while awake. Bodhisattvas give away their own possessions with a pure mind, without craving or reluctance, and exhort others not to take anything its owner has not given, always practicing the perfection of generosity.
“Abandoning defiling desire means that great bodhisattvas keep far away from the objects of the five desires and explain the faults of the five desires to sentient beings, causing them to abandon the five desires and improper conduct. They praise the immeasurable merit of renunciants so that beings may leave the household life, go forth, and be rescued from the prison of craving and attachment.
“These are the three wholesome bodily precepts.
“The four precepts pertaining to speech are abandoning false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, and meaningless speech.
“False speech means claiming to have seen what one has not seen; the same applies to what one has heard, perceived, or known. All such falsehoods must be entirely abandoned. Speaking truthful words is called abandoning false speech.
“Divisive speech means going to one person and speaking about another, then going to the other and speaking about the first, setting them against each other and causing disputes. Abandoning divisive speech and always speaking words that create harmony is called abandoning divisive speech.
“Harsh speech means uttering cruel words that cause another person distress, forcing that person to hear what they do not wish to hear. Abandoning cruel words and causing others to rejoice is called abandoning harsh speech.
“Meaningless speech means conversing and debating with a mind defiled by desire, leading to wrong and useless discussions. To benefit sentient beings, one must abandon false and meaningless speech and speak truthful, timely words. This is called abandoning meaningless speech.
“In this way, bodhisattvas abandon the four faults of speech and cultivate the Tathagata’s four kinds of wholesome speech. They always speak gently to sentient beings, so that those who hear the Dharma joyfully accept it with faith. Just as a water-purifying jewel clarifies muddy water, so it is with those who hear and faithfully accept the Dharma.
“Maitreya! There are also three unwholesome mental actions: covetousness, anger, and delusion.
“Freedom from covetousness and jealousy means that when one sees others who are wealthy and honored, one does not become jealous but reflects rightly: ‘May all sentient beings become wealthy and honored, lacking nothing. These sentient beings endured hardship and suffering to gain such things. Why should I instead be jealous of them? I would even give them my own possessions; how much more should I rejoice in what they themselves have produced? Why should I be jealous?’ By reflecting in this way, one does not envy those beings but rejoices in their good fortune. When covetousness and jealousy are thus eliminated, this is called the bodhisattva’s pure-minded observance of moral discipline.
“Freedom from anger means that although sentient beings falsely accuse and slander a bodhisattva, beat the bodhisattva without cause, or cut the bodhisattva’s body limb from limb, the bodhisattva does not become angry but instead thinks: ‘I vowed never to become angry with sentient beings. Why, then, should I now become angry with them? Long ago, I vowed always to use the medicine of the True Dharma to cure sentient beings of the illness of anger. If I become angry with beings, how can I cure the illness of all beings when I cannot cure my own?’
“Furthermore, when sentient beings become angry, the bodhisattva takes the fault upon himself and thinks: ‘Because my merit is too slight, I have caused others to become angry. If I were faultless, they certainly would not be angry.’ Furthermore, when a great bodhisattva sees two beings angry with each other, bound in enmity and unwilling to let it go, the bodhisattva compassionately thinks: ‘If these beings do not relinquish their hatred and anger, they will fall into hell, where fire will burn their bodies and they will undergo great suffering.

This is my fault. I shall use the medicine of the True Dharma to cure their illness of anger. Long ago, I vowed: May all beings cast off the illness of anger.

Why, then, do I not now eliminate this illness for them, while I myself am bound by the demon of anger, unaware that a raging fire is burning my body? Even if they have been seized by demons and take up knives to kill me, though I know that demons possess them, I shall never become angry but shall instead have compassion for them.’
“Freedom from wrong views means that all beings possess exceedingly deep and entrenched wrong views. With great compassion, bodhisattvas take the torch of right view as a great light to illuminate them, enabling them to behold the Three Jewels and to believe in and delight in the merit of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Even if non-Buddhist practitioners and other beings create obstacles, they cannot destroy their minds of right view, and the bodhisattvas cause them to cultivate the practices of the Great Vehicle without ever regressing.
“Maitreya! If great bodhisattvas practicing the Great Vehicle wish sentient beings to abandon evil karma, the bodhisattvas themselves must first abandon the ten unwholesome actions and cultivate the ten wholesome actions. Why? Only when bodhisattvas themselves practice the ten wholesome actions will everyone faithfully accept what they teach. If they do not practice these actions themselves but teach them to others, it is no different from a person being swept away by water who says to someone on the bank, ‘I can rescue you.’ Such a thing is impossible.
“The same is true of those who commit the ten unwholesome actions. They themselves are being swept away by the torrent of the ten unwholesome actions, yet they say to sentient beings, ‘I shall rescue you.’ This too is impossible. When bodhisattvas fully cultivate the ten wholesome actions and successively teach others to do likewise, this is called cultivating the perfection of pure moral discipline.”
The great bodhisattva Maitreya said to the Buddha:
“Blessed One! If sentient beings thus eliminate the ten unwholesome actions and cultivate the ten wholesome actions, what fruits will they receive?”
The Blessed One praised the great bodhisattva Maitreya:
“Excellent, excellent! Good man, listen clearly and consider it well. I shall explain them to you in succession. Each of these ten wholesome karmic actions has four fruits. What are the four?
1. One obtains happiness in the present life.
2. The power of enemies and afflictions is weakened.
3. In future lives, one is always honored and lacks nothing.
4. By cultivating diligently, one realizes unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening.
“Abstaining from killing has four fruits:
1. Great bodhisattvas harbor no intention to harm sentient beings and instead grant them the gift of fearlessness so that they are free from fear. Because beings are unafraid, they draw near, make offerings to, honor, and praise the bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas have compassion for sentient beings, and because of this loving-kindness and compassion, all former enmities naturally cease.
2. Thoughts of anger and killing are weakened. Bodhisattvas anoint their minds with the ambrosia of compassion and thereby extinguish anger and the fires of the afflictions. They sleep peacefully without evil dreams. Because of their loving-kindness and compassion, blood-and-flesh-eating beings such as ghosts and yakshas abandon their murderous intentions, and even wild beasts protect one another.
3. In future lives, they obtain three fruits:
-They live long and do not die prematurely.
-Wherever they are born, they do not suffer from disease.
-They possess abundant wealth and always live at ease.
4. Because they do not kill, they obtain a share in the Buddha-Dharma. Wherever they are born among the five destinies, they enjoy freedom. Even when seated beneath the bodhi tree, no mara, ghost, or spirit can obstruct them. Through diligent cultivation, the bodhisattvas attain complete and perfect awakening and are surrounded by immeasurable sages and noble ones.
“Maitreya! These are the four fruits of abandoning killing.
“Furthermore, abstaining from taking what has not been given also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, one has no jealousy, and body and mind are peaceful and happy.
2. Because one is free from covetousness and jealousy, all sentient beings trust and turn to one. When entrusted with possessions or responsibilities, no one doubts one, and one becomes a treasury for sentient beings.
3. In future lives, one becomes wealthy, honored, and autonomous. None of one’s possessions can be taken away by kings, thieves, floods, or fires.
4. One becomes master of the treasury of merit belonging to Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. This treasury consists of the eighteen unique qualities and other such qualities—the pure wealth of Dharma.
“Even those of the Two Vehicles have not heard of these fruits, much less seen them.
“Maitreya! These are the four fruits of not stealing.
“Furthermore, abandoning sexual misconduct also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, one is praised by all gods and humans, is not viewed with suspicion, is respected, and remains far removed from ill repute.
2. The six faculties are tamed, weakening the power of the fire of defiling desire.
3. In future lives, wherever one is born, one’s parents, clan, spouse, children, relatives, and friends are chaste, faithful, pure, and unmixed. One is free from all faults involving women and causes sentient beings to be free from defiling attachment.
4. Through abandoning misconduct, one obtains the sign of the concealed male organ, like that of a lordly horse, and ultimately accomplishes unsurpassed bodhi.
“Maitreya! These are the four fruits of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
“Abandoning false speech also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, one always speaks truthfully and does not utter falsehoods, and gods and humans love, protect, and support one.
2. Because one is free from falsehood, all sentient beings trust one. When one teaches the Dharma, everyone listens attentively and accepts it.

Without strenuous effort, one naturally inspires their faith and practice. Moreover, although some people utter falsehoods and deceive others, they themselves dislike liars and rejoice upon seeing truthful people. Only because they themselves lie do they distrust the truthfulness of others.

If they recognize truthful speech, they must give rise to respect. Therefore, know that truthful speech brings great benefit. Those who eliminate false speech do not create evil karma.

Why? Whenever anyone asks them something, they answer according to the truth. Even when alone in a secluded place, they do not give rise to deluded thoughts.

Why? If someone were to ask, ‘When you were alone in a secluded place, did deluded thoughts arise?’ saying no would be a lie, while saying yes would make them ashamed before others. Thus, their deluded minds gradually diminish.
3. Wherever they are born, their mouths always emit the fragrances of blue lotuses and sumana flowers, and all sentient beings cherish them. Because they themselves speak truthfully, they do not suspect others of lying; they also cause others to trust their truthful words and forever sever their nets of doubt.
4. Whatever they say is trusted and accepted. They can cause sentient beings who hear the Dharma to rejoice and will ultimately attain unsurpassed bodhi.
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of abandoning false speech.
“Furthermore, abstaining from divisive speech also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, oneself and others live harmoniously, without disputes, and enjoy happiness.
2. Because of this harmony, everyone loves and respects one. All past offenses of divisive speech are eliminated, and one need not fear entering the three evil destinies.
3. In future lives, one obtains five fruits:
-One obtains an indestructible vajra body that cannot be harmed even by worldly knives and clubs.
-Wherever one lives, one has excellent companions who neither quarrel nor abandon one another.
-Wherever one is born, even without meeting a good spiritual friend to teach the Dharma, one naturally awakens to the Dharma gate of nonduality and has profound faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, never regressing.
-One causes sentient beings to become single-minded in one undertaking, advancing and rejoicing together, and swiftly attaining the samadhi of loving-kindness.
-One can exhort all beings to cultivate the Great Vehicle and realize the stage of nonretrogression.
4. Because one does not utter divisive speech but always speaks harmoniously, one obtains excellent companions who accord with and admonish one another. They do not abandon one another even until nirvana is realized.
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of abstaining from divisive speech.
“Abstaining from harsh speech also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, one’s mind is always pure and free from coarse and defiled states. If, amid sense objects, the winds of craving and anger arising from those objects perfume the storehouse consciousness, the bodhisattva summons clouds of compassion and sends down the rain of loving-kindness to extinguish deluded thoughts of craving and restrain the dust-laden wind of anger, thereby attaining purity.
2. Those who speak harmonious and gentle words are loved, praised, and followed by everyone. They cause those who speak harshly gradually to tame their six faculties and purify them, so that their three kinds of karma remain undefiled.
3. Through such purity, wherever they are born in future lives, they never dwell in the three evil destinies but are always born in good realms.
4. Gradually, they can realize unsurpassed bodhi and become fully endowed with the Brahma voice. When teaching the Dharma, they explain its meaning in accordance with the sounds of each kind of being, and every being thinks: ‘The Blessed One is now teaching the Dharma for me, not for anyone else. The wondrous Dharma he teaches accords entirely with my mind and eliminates the afflictions and habitual tendencies in my body and mind.’
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of abstaining from harsh speech.
“Abstaining from meaningless speech also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, one is praised by the wise, one’s mind is not violent, and one enjoys happiness.
2. Whatever one admonishes or teaches is faithfully accepted by everyone, and their coarse and evil conduct gradually diminishes.
3. In future lives, wherever one is born, one always hears every sound according to one’s wishes.
4. One gradually realizes unsurpassed bodhi and obtains unobstructed eloquence.
“At that time, all gods, nagas, humans, and nonhumans throughout the trichiliocosm came simultaneously to the Buddha. Each asked questions according to their own doubts. In a single instant, the Blessed One answered every kind of being in its own language, in accord with their minds, and severed their nets of doubt.
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of abstaining from meaningless speech.
“Freedom from covetousness and jealousy also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, upon seeing others possessing abundant wealth, one does not become covetous or jealous but instead reflects: ‘Their wealth results from the merit of their former lives. Why should I covet and envy it, wishing to seize it?’ By reflecting in this way, one forever abandons covetousness, stinginess, and jealousy. If these are not eliminated, one will continually suffer poverty and lack power. Therefore, bodhisattvas contemplate and eliminate covetousness and jealousy. When anyone prospers, they rejoice in that person’s good fortune. Without relinquishing even a mote of dust, they thereby obtain great merit.
2. One is loved and respected by everyone, body and mind are peaceful and happy, one is free from sorrow and anxiety, and one possesses majestic virtue and autonomy. Within one’s pure mind, the clouds of craving are obscured, just as the moon at night is surrounded by myriad stars; thus, covetousness, stinginess, and jealousy gradually become weaker.
3. Wherever one is born, one is handsome and upright, possesses all six faculties, enjoys abundant wealth, and is loved and respected by everyone. One always practices generosity, obtains unobstructed eloquence, and is fearless everywhere.
4. Ultimately, one realizes unsurpassed bodhi and is surrounded by a noble assembly endowed with immeasurable merit. All sentient beings follow one’s teachings.
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of freedom from covetousness, stinginess, and jealousy.
“Furthermore, freedom from anger also has four fruits:
1. In the present life, one’s six faculties are keen, one’s appearance is beautiful, and everyone draws near. An angry person resembles a withered tree burning from within, all of whose branches and leaves dry up. Sentient beings are likewise: when the fire of anger permeates their five faculties, their appearance becomes withered and unpleasant, and no one wishes to look at them.
2. When the mind is free from anger, there is none of the suffering caused by beatings or reprimands. It is like a person who upholds the Garuda mantra, whom no poison or evil can harm. Because one is free from anger, loving-kindness and compassion increase. Through the mantra of Compassion, one shatters thirty-six kotis of heavenly maras, ghosts, and spirits. Through the mantra of Loving-kindness, one remains unharmed.
3. In future lives, by the staircase of loving-kindness, one ascends to the Brahma heaven, dwells happily for an entire kalpa, and causes sentient beings to abandon evil and cultivate good.
4. One gradually realizes unsurpassed bodhi, becoming fully adorned with the thirty-two excellent marks and eighty radiant characteristics, and adorns one’s body with immeasurable merit.
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of freedom from anger.
“Freedom from wrong views also has four fruits:
1. If one abandons wrong views and cultivates right view, then in the present life one stays away from bad friends, draws near good friends, hears the Dharma, and accepts it with faith. One prevents unwholesome qualities that have not yet arisen from ever arising and immediately eliminates those that have arisen. One cultivates wholesome qualities that have not yet arisen so that they arise, and cultivates those that have arisen so that they increase. Right view is the root of all wholesome qualities.
2. One closes the gate to unwholesomeness, one’s good name spreads far and wide among the assembly, and one’s mind is free from doubt and regret. Wherever one is born in future lives, one meets good spiritual friends whose right views accord with one’s own.
3. One takes refuge solely in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and turns nowhere else. One’s mind does not regress from the bodhisattva practices; one eliminates offenses and increases merit. One clearly distinguishes conditioned and unconditioned dharmas, samsara and nirvana, peril and benefit. One penetrates all dharmas, understands that there is neither self nor what belongs to a self, remains unattached, and abides in the emptiness of the Dharma-nature. Through the power of right view, one can become completely pure.
4. The supreme and wondrous qualities of the Three Vehicles are inconceivable. The power of right view is fully perfected, enabling one to become a refuge for sentient beings, liberate them from the suffering of birth and death, and establish them all in the unsurpassed Great Vehicle, ultimately bringing them to the station of Dharma King.
“Maitreya, know that these are the four fruits of freedom from wrong views.
“Great bodhisattvas obtain inexhaustible merit not only by upholding these ten pure precepts; even the merit gained by observing the slightest precept is likewise inexhaustible. Why? Ordinary beings uphold precepts while grasping at the notion of karmic reward, and therefore their merit is exhaustible.

When non-Buddhist seers lose their precepts, they also lose their supernormal powers. If humans abandon the ten wholesome actions, their moral discipline is lost along with them. When gods of the Desire Realm die, their moral discipline is also lost.

When gods in the four dhyanas of the Form Realm and gods abiding in right concentration in the Formless Realm die, their concentration is lost, and their moral discipline is lost as well. When adepts of the Two Vehicles who have nothing further to learn enter nirvana, their moral discipline is also lost. But great bodhisattvas undertake sixty-five precepts, each of which is entirely pure and possesses immeasurable merit.
“The sixty-five kinds of precepts are:
1. Not killing sentient beings.
2. Not stealing.
3. Not violating another person’s spouse.
4. Not deceiving others.
5. Not speaking with a double tongue.
6. Not speaking harshly.
7. Not speaking frivolous and embellished words.
8. Not being covetous, stingy, or jealous, but rejoicing upon seeing others happy.
9. Not giving rise to anger, but patiently enduring all evil words and insults.
10. Not holding wrong views, but honoring the Tathagata.
11. Not becoming a teacher of non-Buddhist doctrines.
12. Taking refuge in and trusting the Buddha with a mind free from defiled doubt.
13. Taking refuge in and trusting the Dharma because it is true and free from desire.
14. Taking refuge in and trusting the Sangha because its harmony is supreme.
15. Honoring one’s father because he engendered one.
16. Honoring one’s mother because she nurtured one.
17. Honoring one’s preceptor because he gives birth to one’s Dharma body.
18. Honoring one’s acharya because he teaches one the rules of conduct.
19. Honoring senior disciples because they bring one’s Dharma body to maturity.
20. Being single-minded and not discriminating between light and grave precepts.
21. Not breaking moral discipline by committing grave offenses.
22. Not damaging moral discipline by slighting minor precepts.
23. Not cultivating the Three Vehicles, because one does not seek the fruit of a shravaka.
24. Not cultivating the Two Vehicles, because one does not seek the fruit of a pratyekabuddha.
25. Staying far from evil places by not being born into families of non-Buddhists with wrong views.
26. Increasing pure qualities, for through the power of pure moral discipline one is born according to one’s wishes.
27. Becoming wealthy and honored by not disparaging others.
28. Becoming handsome and upright because one’s mind is undisturbed.
29. Not reviling others, so that wherever one is, one is not slandered.
30. Skillfully guarding the five faculties through diligence and freedom from heedlessness.
31. Being praised for skillfully explaining the meanings of all dharmas.
32. Having few desires because one does not seek after things.
33. Being upright because one’s mind always does good.
34. Making one’s words accord with one’s actions by not acting contrary to the teachings.
35. Great loving-kindness, because one saves all sentient beings.
36. Great compassion, because one rescues all sentient beings from suffering.
37. Great sympathetic joy, because one rejoices when others obtain happiness.
38. Great equanimity, because one abandons attachment and aversion.
39. Knowing one’s own faults by examining one’s own mind.
40. Not looking for the faults of others, because one protects their minds.
41. Generosity, because one rescues the poor and suffering.
42. Moral discipline, because it gathers all wholesome qualities.
43. Patience, because one does not harm sentient beings.
44. Diligence, because one advances courageously without retreating.
45. Meditative concentration, because concentration increases.
46. Wisdom, because one never tires of hearing the Dharma.
47. Great learning, because one seeks the Dharma tirelessly.
48. Drawing near good spiritual friends in order to cultivate the factors of awakening.
49. Staying far from bad friends in order to avoid dangerous and evil paths.
50. Not cherishing body or life, because every instant is impermanent.
51. Not begrudging death, as though extinguishing a fire on one’s head.
52. Having no regret because one’s nature is originally pure.
53. Being free from falsehood because one remains unwavering.
54. Not causing distress, because one is cool within and without.
55. Being free from notions of self and others because one’s mind is humble.
56. Being free from restlessness because one’s nature is peaceful and still.
57. Being free from flattery and deceit because one is always simple and honest.
58. Knowing the minds of sentient beings by skillfully understanding the expedient capacities of all beings.
59. Taming the mind so that it is not disturbed, thereby attaining serenity free from commotion and noise.
60. Circumambulating to the right because one proceeds in accord with principle.
61. Rescuing sentient beings by practicing the four means of gathering.
62. Preserving the True Dharma by safeguarding the wealth of Dharma.
63. Fulfilling all vows because one’s solemn vows are pure.
64. The Tathagata, because one accords with the characteristic of suchness.
65. The Buddha’s samadhi, because one perfects all qualities of a Buddha.
“Maitreya, know that these are the sixty-five kinds of pure bodily moral discipline.”
The Buddha told Maitreya:
“By upholding each precept, bodhisattvas obtain immeasurable merit such as this. Even if they must relinquish their cherished bodies, they must not violate the Buddha’s precepts. Know that they should guard these precepts as they guard the pupils of their eyes.

They should carefully protect the precepts as they protect their alms bowls. They must not allow the sharp blades of the five desires to cut through and destroy them. They should regard the guarding of even a minor precept as seriously as avoiding the five heinous crimes.

Whether a precept is grave or minor, they should uphold it with minds as firm as vajra and must not become arrogant or conceited. Although they uphold pure moral discipline in this way, compared with the evil karma they have created since beginningless time, their wholesome discipline is like a mote of dust within the trichiliocosm. Knowing that the moral discipline they uphold is like a speck of dust compared with that evil karma, why should they become conceited about observing the precepts?
“Maitreya! When bodhisattvas see sentient beings violating the precepts, they should not scorn them but should guard themselves even more carefully. They should further reflect: ‘Long ago, I vowed to establish sentient beings securely in pure moral discipline. Although these beings are difficult to transform, I must strive with even greater diligence, using the vessel of pure moral discipline to carry those who violate the precepts across the ocean of birth and death to the shore of nirvana.’
“Maitreya! Sentient beings possessing this body require four conditions:
1. Food and drink.
2. Clothing.
3. Housing.
4. Medicine.
“Great bodhisattvas must obtain these four conditions in accordance with the Dharma and must not use unlawful means. They must not be haughty, seek insatiably after many things, but should have few desires, know contentment, and use these things merely to sustain the body. It is like a person whose body suffers from an ulcer and who therefore seeks a skilled physician, obtains ointment, binds the wound with cloth, and lies on a mattress in a sheltered house. This is done solely to cure the illness, not out of attachment to the body.
“Because bodhisattvas are afflicted by the eight bodily sufferings, they seek only the medicine of Dharma as their food and drink and merely borrow clothing and shelter, taking no delight in this body’s appearance, strength, or lifespan. They cultivate the supreme Dharma solely to bring happiness to sentient beings and eliminate the ulcers of samsara and the afflictions.
“Among the great assembly, bodhisattvas always examine their own faults and neither disparage nor offend others. They keep far away from praise. If anyone praises them, they think: ‘I have no share at all in this praise. Examining myself now, I see that I have committed many offenses. I possess not the slightest share in meritorious qualities. Beings say that I do only because of their deluded perceptions.’ Bodhisattvas take the mind of great compassion as their refuge and the perfection of pure moral discipline as their companion.
“Maitreya! There is a kind of pure moral discipline that is not a perfection. Because its practitioners uphold moral discipline while grasping at characteristics, theirs is not the supreme observance of moral discipline. It is merely pure moral discipline, not a perfection. Why? Because it yields only conditioned karmic rewards within the three realms, and when their lifespans end, those rewards also come to an end. But if one upholds the precepts for the sake of all sentient beings everywhere, contemplates the emptiness of ultimate truth, is free from the characteristics of self and person, and upholds the precepts for sentient beings, this is the perfection of pure moral discipline.
“The perfection of pure moral discipline can cause sentient beings swiftly to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening. The perfection of pure moral discipline is a guide for sentient beings. It causes beings without faith to develop pure faith; it can serve as a treasury for all sentient beings and as a priceless jeweled necklace with which they adorn their bodies.

It serves as the finest anointing fragrance for all sentient beings and as their exemplar. This perfection of pure moral discipline is not only for renunciants but also for householders. Young and old are equal in this regard.

They do not give rise to conceit or overweening pride; they abandon offenses, attain pure deportment, become free from every fear, and can realize unsurpassed bodhi, the supreme station of Dharma King.
“How is it known that moral discipline is foremost?
“If sentient beings uphold pure moral discipline, though they are of lowly birth, not from wealthy or honored families, and lack the personal power to benefit others, because they possess the perfection of pure moral discipline, all gods, nagas, yakshas, humans, nonhumans, kings, ministers, kshatriyas, brahmins, elders, and householders take refuge in and honor them, bow to them, make offerings, respect them, and praise them.

Even people of lowly birth who uphold the Buddha’s precepts receive such reverence and respect; how much more so those of noble birth who know how to uphold pure moral discipline and have completely perfected the perfection of pure moral discipline. Know that wherever those who uphold pure moral discipline walk, stand, sit, lie down, or practice walking meditation, they bring auspiciousness and peace to sentient beings, while gods and humans bow at their feet, bear them upon their heads, and make offerings to them.
“Therefore, know that those who uphold pure moral discipline are foremost, highest, and most excellent among all assemblies. This is called the complete fulfillment of the perfection of pure moral discipline.”