梵網經

Children of the Buddhas, join your palms and listen. I am now about to recite the introductory words to the vast precepts of the Buddhas. Those assembled here, remain silent and listen. Examine yourselves, and if you have committed offenses, you must repent. Through repentance, you will find peace and joy; without repentance, your offenses will grow ever deeper and graver. Those who have committed no offenses should remain silent. From your silence, I know that you are pure.

Venerable ones, upasakas, and upasikas, listen carefully. After the Blessed One has entered nirvana, during the final age of the Buddha-Dharma, you must all the more reverently honor the Pratimoksha. The Pratimoksha is precisely this precept Dharma. To uphold this precept Dharma is like encountering light in the darkness of night, like a poor person obtaining gold and jewels, like the sick regaining health, like a prisoner being released from confinement, and like a traveler far from home finally returning. Know that this precept Dharma is your great teacher. Even if the Blessed One were still dwelling in the world, it would be no different from this precept Dharma.

A sense of dread regarding wrongdoing is difficult to engender, and a mind endowed with wholesome virtue is difficult to arouse. Therefore, the sutras teach:

Do not slight a minor offense,

Thinking it will bring no harm;

Though drops of water may be small,

Their constant flow will fill a great lake.

An offense committed in an instant

Brings calamity in the Avici hell;

Once the human body has been lost,

It is hard to regain through myriad kalpas.

Health and beauty do not endure,

But pass swiftly like a racing horse;

Human life is inherently impermanent,

More fleeting than a mountain torrent:

Though one may still be here today,

Tomorrow cannot be assured.

You must be single-minded and strive diligently. Take care not to become lax or indolent, not to delight in sleep, and not to let your minds wander heedlessly. Throughout the night, you must gather and concentrate your minds in recollection of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Do not let your lives pass by empty and fruitless, exhausting yourselves to no purpose, only to feel profound regret afterward.

You must be single-minded and reverently uphold and practice this precept Dharma with complete accuracy. Thus should you train.

The Brahma's Net Sutra, Chapter Ten

“The Bodhisattva Mind-Ground Precepts Proclaimed by the Buddha Locana,”

Lower Part

At that time, the Buddha Locana had given the great assembly a concise revelation, no more than the tip of a hair, of the Dharma gateway of the mind-ground, one among Dharma gateways as immeasurably numerous and ineffable as the sands of hundreds of thousands of Ganges Rivers. He concluded: “This Dharma gateway of the mind-ground has been taught by all Buddhas of the past, will be taught by all Buddhas of the future, and is being taught by all Buddhas of the present.

All bodhisattvas of the past, future, and present have studied it, will study it, and are studying it. The Tathagata cultivated this mind-ground throughout hundreds of immeasurable kalpas and, as a result, attained Buddhahood with the name Locana. O Buddhas, transmit the Dharma gateway taught by the Tathagata to all sentient beings and reveal the mind-ground to them.” Then, seated upon the resplendent Lion Throne on the Lotus Platform—that is, within the Flower Treasury World—the Buddha Locana emitted light and exhorted the one thousand Shakyamuni Buddhas upon the one thousand lotus petals: “Take with you the Tathagata's Chapter on the Dharma Gateway of the Mind-Ground.

In due sequence, recount this chapter to the one thousand times ten billion Shakyamuni Buddhas and to all sentient beings, exhorting them: ‘Receive and uphold it, read and recite it, and single-mindedly put it into practice.’”

At that time, the one thousand Shakyamuni Buddhas upon the one thousand lotus petals, together with the one thousand times ten billion Shakyamuni Buddhas, all rose from their resplendent Lion Thrones in the Flower Treasury World. Each took leave by emitting inconceivable light from throughout his entire body and simultaneously manifesting immeasurable further Buddhas. At the same moment, they all offered innumerable blue, yellow, red, and white flowers to the Buddha Locana, and they received and perfectly retained the Chapter on the Dharma Gateway of the Mind-Ground that he had proclaimed.

They then vanished from the Flower Treasury World. Having vanished, they entered the samadhi called Flower of Light of the Pure Essential Nature, Like Empty Space, and returned beneath the bodhi trees in Jambudvipa within their respective worlds. Emerging from that samadhi, they sat upon Vajra Thrones filled with flowers of light.

In the Hall of Wondrous Light they taught the ten seas of worlds; then, leaving that place, they proceeded to the palace of Shakra and taught the ten abodes; to the Yama Heaven and taught the ten practices; to the Tushita Heaven and taught the ten dedications; to the Heaven of Delight in Transformations and taught the ten samadhis; to the Heaven of Mastery over Others' Transformations and taught the ten grounds; to the First Dhyana Heaven and taught the ten vajras; to the Second Dhyana Heaven and taught the ten patiences; to the Third Dhyana Heaven and taught the ten vows;

and to the palace of the Great Sovereign Deva King in the Fourth Dhyana Heaven, where they again taught the Chapter on the Dharma Gateway of the Mind-Ground proclaimed in the Flower Treasury World by their own original body, the Buddha Locana.

All the one thousand times ten billion Shakyamuni Buddhas did likewise, without any difference among them, just as stated in the Chapter on the Auspicious Kalpa.

Then Shakyamuni Buddha departed from the Flower Treasury World, where he had first manifested. Traveling eastward, he entered the palace of a deva king and, after teaching the Sutra on the Conversion of Mara, descended to be born in the kingdom of Kapilavastu in Jambudvipa. His mother was Queen Maya, and his father was King Shuddhodana.

“The Tathagata was named Siddhartha. He left home for seven years and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty, receiving the name Shakyamuni. First, he sat upon the Vajra Throne filled with flowers of light at the Site of Tranquil Cessation; finally, he reached the palace of the Great Sovereign Deva King, teaching the Dharma in due sequence at all ten places.” While teaching the Dharma in the palace of the Great Sovereign Deva King, Shakyamuni Buddha beheld the jeweled nets of the Great Brahma Deva Kings.

Taking these as an occasion, he told them: “Immeasurable worlds resemble the meshes of a net, each distinct from all the others, boundless and endless. The Dharma gateway taught by the Buddha Locana is likewise. I, the Tathagata, have now come to this world eight thousand times.

For the sake of the entire Saha world, I have sat upon the Vajra Throne filled with flowers of light and taught the ten seas of worlds, proceeding until I arrived here at the palace of the Great Sovereign Deva King, where I have now completed a concise revelation of the Chapter on the Dharma Gateway of the Mind-Ground for this great assembly.”

Then the Tathagata descended again from that celestial palace and sat beneath the bodhi tree in Jambudvipa. For the sake of all deluded and benighted ordinary beings upon this earth, he again proclaimed the one precept Dharma taught in the Chapter on the Dharma Gateway of the Mind-Ground by his original body, the Buddha Locana—the precept Dharma he had constantly recited ever since first arousing the aspiration for enlightenment.

This precept Dharma is like a radiant vajra jewel. It is the fundamental source of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the seed of Buddha-nature. All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.

Therefore, the entire body and mind of every sentient being—this very body and this very mind—enter into the Buddha-nature precept Dharma. Naturally, where such a cause exists, the eternally abiding Dharma-body will naturally be realized. When the ten Pratimoksha precepts that the Tathagata will now proclaim again appear in this world, they are precisely the precept Dharma of the Buddha-Dharma, the precept Dharma that all sentient beings of the past, future, and present should reverently receive and uphold.

The Tathagata is now about to proclaim anew for this entire great assembly the section on the Inexhaustible Precepts—the precept Dharma of all sentient beings, fundamentally pure in its own nature.

The Tathagata Locana

Sits serenely upon the Lotus Platform;

Surrounding the Lotus Platform

Are fully one thousand petals.

Upon those thousand lotus petals,

The Tathagata manifests a thousand Buddhas,

All bearing the same name:

The Blessed One Shakyamuni.

Each lotus petal described above

Contains ten billion worlds,

And within each world there is

Yet another Shakyamuni Buddha;

All these Shakyamuni Buddhas,

At one and the same time,

Sit beneath their bodhi trees

And attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

The thousand and the thousand times ten billion

Shakyamuni Buddhas described above

Are, in their entirety, but the one

Original body of Locana.

One thousand times ten billion

Thus did Śākyamuni Buddha,

together with the great assembly

numbering as many as motes of dust,

lead them all to

the place where the Tathagata was seated,

to hear the Tathagata recite

the precepts of all Buddhas.

When the Tathagata had completed reciting

the precepts of all Buddhas,

the gateway of the Deathless

was opened at once.

Then the thousand hundred kotis

of World-Honored Śākyamuni Buddhas

returned to their bodhimandas

and sat beneath their bodhi trees,

where they likewise recited the precepts

of their Original Buddha,

comprising the ten major precepts

and the forty-eight minor precepts.

These precepts are like

the brilliantly shining sun,

the radiant full moon,

and a strand of precious jewels;

all bodhisattvas,

as numerous as motes of dust,

attain Perfect Enlightenment

through these precepts.

The precepts recited

by the Original Buddha Vairocana

are now recited again by the Tathagata,

entirely and exactly as they are.

Therefore, all of you—

bodhisattvas newly undertaking the training—

should wholeheartedly revere,

receive, and uphold these precepts.

After you have received and upheld

these precepts,

you should transmit them in turn

to sentient beings.

Therefore, all of you,

listen attentively

as the Tathagata accurately recites

the treasury of precepts within the Buddha-Dharma.

This treasury of precepts is precisely

the pratimoksha;

therefore, the entire great assembly

should believe in it deeply and wholeheartedly;

believe deeply that you yourselves

are Buddhas yet to be,

just as the Tathagata here

is a Buddha already accomplished.

By constantly maintaining such profound faith,

the precepts are fulfilled.

Whatever kind of being one may be,

so long as one possesses mind-nature,

one should receive

the precepts of all Buddhas.

When sentient beings receive

the precepts of all Buddhas,

they immediately

enter the station of Buddhahood;

when their station is identical in essence

with that of the greatly enlightened Buddhas,

they are truly

children of all Buddhas.

Therefore, let the entire great assembly

listen with reverence

as the Tathagata now recites again

the precepts of all Buddhas.

At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha, seated beneath the bodhi tree, having attained unsurpassed enlightenment, began to establish the bodhisattva precepts, saying that filial devotion toward parents, spiritual masters, and the Sangha, and toward the Three Jewels—filial devotion in accord with the supreme true Dharma—is called the precepts and is also called the power to restrain and bring all wrongdoing to an end. The World-Honored One then emitted immeasurable light from his golden mouth.

At that time, the assembly numbered a hundred myriad kotis: bodhisattvas, Brahma gods from the eighteen heavens of the Form Realm, heavenly beings from the six heavens of the Desire Realm, and kings of the sixteen great kingdoms. All joined their palms, devoted their entire hearts and minds, and listened as the World-Honored One recited the Mahayana precepts of all Buddhas.

The World-Honored One told the bodhisattvas: “Now, every half-month, the Tathagata personally recites the precepts of the Buddha-Dharma. You—bodhisattvas who have newly aroused the aspiration, up to bodhisattvas of the Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, Ten Dedications, and Ten Grounds—must likewise recite them. It is for this reason that the light of the precepts streams forth from the Tathagata’s mouth.

This light arises for a reason, not without cause. Yet this light is neither blue, yellow, red, white, nor black; it is neither physical nor mental; it is neither the concept of existence nor nonexistence; and it is not of the nature of cause and effect. It is the original source of all Buddhas, the foundation of bodhisattvas, and the foundation of all of you, the assembly of Buddha’s disciples.

Therefore, all of you, disciples of the Buddha, must receive and uphold, read and recite, and diligently study these precepts.

“Disciples of the Buddha, listen carefully. Those who wish to receive the precepts of all Buddhas may be kings, princes, prime ministers, civil or military officials, bhikshus, bhikshunis, Brahma gods from the eighteen heavens of the Form Realm, heavenly beings from the six heavens of the Desire Realm, any of the common people, eunuchs, licentious men or women, male or female servants, ghosts and spirits of the eight classes, vajra spirits, animals, or even transformed beings. So long as they can understand the words of the Dharma master who transmits the precepts, they may all receive and obtain the precepts—they may all become beings of the highest purity.”

The World-Honored One said: “Disciples of the Buddha, there are ten major precepts. If those who receive the bodhisattva precepts do not recite these ten major precepts, they are not bodhisattvas and are not seeds of Buddhahood. The Tathagata himself also recites them in this way, and all bodhisattvas have studied them, are studying them, and will study them. Thus has the Tathagata briefly described the characteristics of the bodhisattva precepts. You must study them and reverently uphold them.”

(1. One Must Not Kill)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally kills, causes another to kill, kills through expedient means, praises killing, rejoices upon seeing another kill, or even kills through spells—employing the causes, contributing conditions, methods, and acts of killing—he must nevertheless not deliberately kill any being that has life. A bodhisattva must always arouse abiding compassion and filial devotion and employ skillful means to rescue and protect all living beings. If, instead, he wantonly and gleefully kills, he commits a bodhisattva parajika offense.

(2. One Must Not Steal)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally steals, causes another to steal, steals through expedient means, or steals through spells—employing the causes, contributing conditions, methods, and acts of stealing—he must nevertheless not deliberately steal even so little as a needle or a blade of grass, whether property belonging to ghosts and spirits, property with an owner, property belonging to thieves, or communal property. A bodhisattva must arouse the filial and compassionate mind of Buddha-nature and constantly help others create merit and attain peace and happiness. If, instead, he not only fails to do so but also steals the property of others, he commits a bodhisattva parajika offense.

(3. One Must Not Engage in Sexual Misconduct)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally engages in sexual activity or causes another to engage in it, he must nevertheless not deliberately engage in sexual activity with any female, including female animals, female heavenly beings, or female ghosts and spirits, nor through bodily orifices that are not reproductive organs—employing the causes, contributing conditions, methods, and acts of sexual activity. A bodhisattva must arouse a mind of filial devotion, deliver all beings, and impart the pure Dharma to others.

If, instead, he not only fails to do so but also arouses sexual desire toward anyone, not even excluding animals, and goes so far as to engage in sexual acts with his mother, daughter, elder sister, younger sister, or relatives on either his father’s or mother’s side, utterly devoid of compassion, he commits a bodhisattva parajika offense.

(4. One Must Not Speak Falsely)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally speaks falsely, causes another to speak falsely, or speaks falsely through expedient means—employing the causes, contributing conditions, methods, and acts of false speech—even claiming to have seen what he has not seen or claiming not to have seen what he has seen, and speaking falsely with both body and mind; a bodhisattva must instead always give rise within himself to truthful speech and right understanding and must also engender these two—truthful speech and right understanding—in others. If, instead, he not only fails to do so but also causes wrong speech, wrong understanding, and wrong conduct to arise in others, he commits a bodhisattva parajika offense.

(5. One Must Not Trade in Intoxicants)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally sells intoxicating liquor or instructs others to sell it—with the causes, conditions, methods, and acts involved in selling liquor—he commits an offense. No kind of intoxicating liquor may be bought or sold, because liquor is a cause of every kind of wrongdoing. A bodhisattva should awaken clear and penetrating wisdom in sentient beings. If, contrary to this, he fails to do so and instead causes others’ minds to become confused and disordered, this constitutes a bodhisattva pārājika offense.

(6. One Must Not Speak of the Faults of Fellow Practitioners)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally speaks of the faults and transgressions of monastics or laypeople who have received the bodhisattva precepts, or of bhikshus or bhikshunis, or instructs others to speak of them—with the causes, conditions, methods, and acts involved in speaking of such faults—he commits an offense. When a bodhisattva hears malicious followers of non-Buddhist paths or practitioners of the Two Vehicles attack the Buddhist community, alleging that it violates the Dharma and the precepts, he should always give rise to compassion, teach and transform those malicious people, and enable them to develop faith in the Mahayana.

If, contrary to this, he fails to do so and personally speaks of the faults and transgressions within the Buddhist community, this constitutes a bodhisattva pārājika offense.

(7. One Must Not Praise Oneself and Disparage Others)

If a disciple of the Buddha praises himself while disparaging others, or instructs others to disparage them—with the causes, conditions, methods, and acts involved in disparagement—he commits an offense. A bodhisattva should bear all slander and humiliation on behalf of all sentient beings, taking blame upon himself and giving praise to others. If, contrary to this, he boasts of his own virtues, conceals the virtues of others, and causes them to suffer every kind of disparagement, this constitutes a bodhisattva pārājika offense.

(8. One Must Not Be Stingy with Wealth or Dharma)

If a disciple of the Buddha is personally stingy or instructs others to be stingy—with the causes, conditions, methods, and acts involved in stinginess—he commits an offense. Whenever any poor or needy person comes to make a request, a bodhisattva should provide from what he possesses according to that person’s needs. If, contrary to this, because of an unwholesome disposition and a resentful mind, he refuses to give anyone even a coin, a needle, or a blade of grass; or if someone comes seeking the Buddha-Dharma and he not only refuses to teach even a single meaningful sentence, a single verse, or an amount as minute as a speck of dust, but also insults that person, this constitutes a bodhisattva pārājika offense.

(9. One Must Not Harbor Unrelenting Anger)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally gives rise to anger or instructs others to become angry—with the causes, conditions, methods, and acts involved in anger—he commits an offense. A bodhisattva should cultivate every kind of wholesome root in others, especially the virtue of peace and harmony, and should constantly give rise within himself to compassion and filial respect. If, contrary to this, he fails to do so and verbally abuses sentient beings, or even insentient things, with venomous words, then further strikes them with his hands, feet, or implements, yet his anger still does not subside; and if, even when the other person seeks to repent and apologize with gentle words, he remains unrelentingly angry, this constitutes a bodhisattva pārājika offense.

(10. One Must Not Slander the Three Jewels)

If a disciple of the Buddha personally slanders the Three Jewels or instructs others to slander them—with the causes, conditions, methods, and acts involved in slander—he commits an offense. When a bodhisattva hears followers of non-Buddhist paths or malicious people utter even a single word slandering the Buddha, he should feel as though three hundred sharp spears had pierced his heart; how much more grievous would it be for him to slander with his own mouth. If, instead of inspiring faith and filial respect in everyone, he acts contrary to this and lends further support to the slanders of malicious people and those holding wrong views, this constitutes a bodhisattva pārājika offense.

Virtuous ones who study well, these are the ten major precepts of the bodhisattva; you must study them. Not one of them may be violated even by as much as a speck of dust, much less all ten. Whoever violates them will be unable in this present life to give rise to the bodhi-mind.

That person will lose the rank of king or wheel-turning monarch, lose the status of bhikshu or bhikshuni, and lose the bodhisattva stages of the Ten Initiations, Ten Nurturings, Ten Vajras, and Ten Grounds. All the wondrous, everlasting fruits of the Buddha-nature will also be lost. That person will fall into the three evil destinies and may pass two or three kalpas without hearing even the words “father” and “mother,” or the names of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

For this reason, not one of these precepts should be violated. All you bodhisattvas who are now studying, who will study in the future, or who studied in the past must reverently uphold these ten major precepts, as the Tathagata will explain extensively in the Chapter on the Eighty Thousand Forms of Dignified Conduct.

The Blessed One instructed the bodhisattvas: “The Tathagata has now taught the ten major precepts. The Tathagata will next teach the forty-eight minor precepts.”

(1. One Must Not Disrespect Teachers and Fellow Practitioners)

If a disciple of the Buddha is about to assume the position of a king, a wheel-turning monarch, or one of the hundred classes of officials, he must first receive the bodhisattva precepts. Such people will be protected by spirits and will bring joy to all Buddhas. After receiving the bodhisattva precepts, they must give rise to filial respect and reverence.

When they see senior monks, preceptors, acharyas, venerable ones, or those who share the same field of study, understanding, and practice, they should rise, welcome them, bow respectfully, and inquire after their well-being. If a bodhisattva, contrary to this, gives rise to arrogance, contempt, obstinacy, or anger and refuses to rise, welcome them, bow respectfully, or inquire after their well-being, and also fails to provide for their needs in accordance with the true Dharma—although he ought to be willing to sacrifice even his own person, rank, children, precious possessions, and miscellaneous property as offerings to them—he commits a minor defilement offense.

(2. One Must Not Consume Intoxicating Liquor)

If a disciple of the Buddha deliberately drinks intoxicating liquor, he commits an offense, for liquor gives rise to innumerable faults. If a person personally hands liquor to another to drink, he will be born without arms for five hundred lifetimes; how much more serious, then, if he drinks it himself. Nor may he instruct people to drink liquor or train other living beings to drink it, much less drink it himself. Therefore, no kind of intoxicating liquor may be consumed. If he deliberately drinks it himself or instructs others to drink it, he commits a minor defilement offense.

(3. One Must Not Eat Any Kind of Meat)

If a disciple of the Buddha deliberately eats meat, he commits an offense, for no kind of meat may be eaten. Eating meat destroys the seed of the Buddha-nature, which is inherently endowed with great compassion, and causes all living beings who see the person to flee. For this reason, no bodhisattva may consume the flesh of any living being whatsoever. Eating meat gives rise to immeasurable offenses. If he deliberately eats it, he commits a minor defilement offense.

(4. One Must Not Eat the Pungent Plants)

A disciple of the Buddha must not eat the five pungent plants: garlic, Chinese onion, scallions, shallots, and chives. These five must not be eaten in any kind of food. If he deliberately eats them, he commits a minor defilement offense.

(5. One Must Not Fail to Encourage Repentance)

If a disciple of the Buddha sees anyone violate the eight precepts, the five precepts, the ten precepts, any other precepts, commit the seven heinous offenses, or commit evil deeds that bring about the eight adversities, then upon seeing any such transgression of the precepts, the disciple must exhort the offender and teach them the method of repentance. If, as a bodhisattva, one neither exhorts them nor teaches them the method of repentance, but instead dwells together with them, receives offerings together with them, performs the poṣadha together with them, and participates with them in the communal recitation of the precepts without bringing forth their offenses to exhort them and teach them how to repent, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(6. One Must Not Fail to Seek the True Dharma)

If a disciple of the Buddha sees Mahayana Dharma masters, fellow practitioners who study, understand, and practice the Mahayana, coming to one's monastery, home, city, town, or village—even if they have come from a hundred or a thousand miles away—one must immediately rise, welcome them, see them off, bow respectfully to them, and make offerings to them. One must make offerings three times each day, even if doing so costs several taels of gold.

All beverages, food, bedding, seats, clothing, physicians, and medicines must be provided to the Dharma master. All that the master requires must be fully supplied. Three times each day, one must continually request the Dharma master to expound the Dharma.

One must bow respectfully three times each day without allowing anger or vexation to arise in one's mind. Even if one should lose one's life for the sake of the Dharma, one must still seek the Dharma tirelessly. If one fails to do so, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(7. One Must Not Fail to Attend Dharma Teachings)

Wherever scriptures and Vinaya concerning the precepts are being explained, even if the teaching place has been established in a grand mansion, disciples of the Buddha who are newly aspiring bodhisattvas must bring the scriptures and Vinaya there to listen, receive the teachings, and question the Dharma master. In mountains and forests, beneath great trees, on Sangha grounds, or within monasteries—wherever the Dharma of the precepts is being expounded—one must all the more go there to listen and receive it. If one does not go, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(8. One Must Not Turn Away from the Mahayana Precepts)

If a disciple of the Buddha entertains thoughts of rejecting the eternally abiding scriptures and Vinaya of the Mahayana, claiming that they were not taught by the Tathagata, and instead accepts and upholds the scriptures and Vinaya of the Two Vehicles of the śrāvakas or of non-Buddhists with pernicious views, whose contents include precepts and doctrines that deny Buddha-nature, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(9. One Must Not Fail to Aid the Sick)

If a disciple of the Buddha sees anyone who is ill, the disciple must constantly care for that person just as one would serve the Buddha. This is because, among the eight fields in which merit grows, caring for the sick is the foremost field. If one's parents, great master, members of the Sangha, or disciples are ill, are missing bodily members, or are tormented by hundreds of diseases, one must care for and nourish them until they recover. If, as a bodhisattva, one fails to care for the sick because of cruelty, anger, or hatred, and even when encountering sick persons in monasteries, cities, towns, villages, wildernesses, mountains, forests, or along the roads, one does not rescue and assist them, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(10. One Must Not Store Weapons)

A disciple of the Buddha must not store knives, clubs, bows, arrows, spears, lances, or any other weapons of warfare. Nor may one store any implements used for trapping, netting, hunting, or killing living beings. As a bodhisattva, even if someone were to kill one's own parents, one must not kill that person in revenge; how much less may one kill other people or creatures. Therefore, one must not store weapons or instruments of slaughter. If one deliberately stores them, one commits a minor defiling offense.

You must study these ten minor precepts and reverently uphold them, as the Tathagata will explain in detail in the following six chapters.

(11. One Must Not Act as a Traitor to the Nation)

A disciple of the Buddha must not, for profit or out of malicious intent, serve as an envoy of the state to form military alliances, mobilize armies for warfare, and destroy countless lives. As a bodhisattva, one must not even pass back and forth among armies; how much less may one deliberately act as a traitor to the nation. If one deliberately does so, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(12. One Must Not Engage in Cruel Trade)

If a disciple of the Buddha deliberately traffics in free persons, slaves, servants, or concubines; trades in livestock; or sells coffins, outer caskets, and other funerary implements, such commerce must not be undertaken even by oneself, much less may one instruct others to undertake it. If one deliberately engages in it oneself or directs others to do so, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(13. One Must Not Make False Accusations)

If, with a malicious mind and without any basis in fact, a disciple of the Buddha accuses virtuous and honorable persons, persons of good character, Dharma masters, great preceptor monks, great ācāryas, rulers, or nobles of having committed the seven heinous offenses, the ten grave offenses, and so forth, one commits a minor defiling offense. Those among the six close relations who should be regarded as one's parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, or sisters must be treated with filial obedience and compassion. Yet if, contrary to this, one not only fails to act accordingly but also causes them further distress and injury, plunging them into mental anguish, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(14. One Must Not Deliberately Set Fires)

If, with a cruel mind, a disciple of the Buddha sets great fires that burn mountains, forests, or open fields; sets fires during the months from the fourth through the ninth; or starts fires that may spread to people's houses, rooms, cities, towns, villages, monasteries, fields, gardens, and trees, or to property belonging to spirits or the community, one commits a minor defiling offense. All such things have owners and must not be deliberately burned. If one deliberately burns them, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(15. One Must Not Give Erroneous Teachings)

A disciple of the Buddha must guide fellow disciples of the Buddha, non-Buddhists, evildoers, relatives, virtuous acquaintances, and all other people to accept and uphold the Mahayana scriptures and Vinaya. One must guide them to understand the meaning and intent of those scriptures and Vinaya and cause them to arouse the bodhi-mind. One must guide them, one by one, through the ten minds of initial resolve, the ten minds of nurturing growth, and the ten vajra minds—these thirty minds—so that they clearly understand the functions of these teachings and their sequential order.

If, as a bodhisattva, one instead maliciously or resentfully teaches others, without any valid reason, the scriptures and Vinaya of the Two Vehicles of the śrāvakas or the doctrines of non-Buddhists with wrong views, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(16. One Must Not Expound the Dharma Confusedly)

With wholesome aspiration, a disciple of the Buddha must first study the deportment and precepts contained in the Mahayana scriptures and Vinaya, and must deeply and extensively understand their meaning, principles, and significance. Then, upon seeing newly aspiring bodhisattvas who have traveled from a hundred or a thousand miles away to seek instruction in the Mahayana scriptures and Vinaya, one must teach them, in accordance with the true Dharma, about ascetic practices such as burning parts of the body, the arms, or the fingers.

If they show fear of such burning, even after being told that it is performed as an offering to the Buddhas, one should know that they are not renunciant bodhisattvas. A renunciant bodhisattva should even relinquish their own flesh, hands, or feet to feed hungry tigers, wolves, lions, and spirits. After explaining these ascetic practices, one must then teach them, one by one and in proper sequence, the essential precepts, causing their minds to open and their understanding to become free of obstruction.

If, as a bodhisattva, one is motivated by thoughts of personal gain and therefore fails to answer what should be answered, explains the words and meanings of the Mahayana scriptures and Vinaya in a confused manner without proper sequence, speaks only in abbreviated form, or speaks in a way that maligns the Three Jewels, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(17. One Must Not Rely on Power in Pursuit of Personal Gain)

If a disciple of the Buddha, for the sake of food, drink, wealth, personal advantage, or fame, becomes intimate with kings, princes, prime ministers, and officials, and then relies upon their power to act imperiously, make demands, perpetrate violence, and arbitrarily seize the money, property, and possessions of others—all such pursuit of gain is cruel and excessive craving. If one further instructs others to pursue gain in this way, utterly devoid of compassion and filial obedience, one commits a minor offense.

(18. One Must Not Blindly Serve as a Teacher)

If a disciple of the Buddha studies and recites the bodhisattva precepts, one must uphold them in mind throughout the six periods of day and night and understand their meaning, which means understanding the nature of Buddha-nature. If, while being a bodhisattva, one cannot understand even a sentence complete in meaning or a verse, and is also unfamiliar with the principles underlying the precepts, yet falsely claims to understand them, one thereby deceives oneself and others. Therefore, if one remains utterly confused, understanding neither the precepts nor the teachings, yet serves as a Dharma teacher and transmits the precepts to others, one commits a minor offense.

(19. One Must Not Slander Those Who Uphold the Precepts)

If a disciple of the Buddha, out of an evil and malicious mind, sees a bhiksu who upholds the precepts, carries a censer in his hands, and practices the bodhisattva conduct, yet spreads malicious tales about him here and there, slandering and falsely accusing this virtuous person and fabricating every conceivable wrongdoing against him, one commits a minor offense.

(20. One Must Not Fail to Rescue and Release Living Beings)

A disciple of the Buddha must practice the release of living beings with a compassionate mind. One should reflect as follows: All males have been my fathers, and all females have been my mothers; throughout life after life and eon after eon, there has never been a time when I was not born from such parents. Therefore, all beings in the six realms are my parents.

To kill and eat them is to kill and eat my own parents. It is also to kill and eat my own former bodies, because all solid and liquid elements, heat, and motion have constituted my former bodies. Reflecting in this way, one should constantly release living beings.

Birth and rebirth throughout successive lives is also an immutable reality; therefore, one should all the more instruct and encourage everyone to release living beings. When seeing people in the world slaughter living creatures, one must find ways to rescue them and free them from suffering and calamity. One should also regularly teach and expound the bodhisattva precepts to others in order to rescue sentient beings.

On the anniversaries of the deaths of one’s parents or siblings, one should invite Dharma teachers to expound the sutras and disciplinary texts of the bodhisattva precepts. The resulting merit enables the deceased to behold the Buddhas or to be reborn among humans or in the heavens. If one fails to do so, one commits a minor offense.

You must study these ten minor precepts and reverently uphold them. In the Chapter on the Elimination of Offenses, the Tathagata will explain each of these precepts extensively.

(21. One Must Not Retaliate in Anger)

A disciple of the Buddha must not repay anger with anger or blows with blows, nor harbor thoughts of revenge against those who slaughtered one’s parents, siblings, or relatives, or against those who killed the sovereign of the realm. To destroy life in retaliation for the destruction of life is contrary to the way of filial obedience. One must not keep male or female servants and beat or revile them, thereby allowing the three karmic activities to flare up day after day; the offenses of verbal karma in particular would be immeasurable, to say nothing of deliberately committing the seven grave offenses. If an ordained bodhisattva lacks compassion and deliberately harbors thoughts of revenge, refusing to forgive even one’s own relatives, one commits a minor offense.

(22. One Must Not Arrogantly Refuse to Learn)

If a disciple of the Buddha has only recently left the household life and does not yet understand anything, but prides oneself on intelligence, noble standing, age, lineage, social class, great knowledge, great merit, immense wealth, or possession of all the seven treasures, and, relying upon these things, becomes arrogant and refuses to study the sutras and disciplinary texts under Dharma teachers who began their studies earlier, one commits an offense.

Such Dharma teachers may be of humble lineage, young in age, low social class, poor, of low stature, or imperfect in their faculties, yet they may truly possess virtue and thoroughly understand all the sutras and disciplinary texts. If bodhisattva beginners judge according to lineage and social class and refuse to approach such a Dharma teacher to learn the ultimate truth, they commit a minor offense.

(23. One Must Not Fail to Transmit the Sutras and Precepts)

If, after the Tathagata has entered nirvana, a disciple of the Buddha wishes, with a wholesome aspiration, to receive the bodhisattva precepts by undertaking them personally before images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, one must first repent before the images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas for seven days. If one then beholds an auspicious sign, one may receive the precepts and thereby obtain them. If one has not yet beheld an auspicious sign, one must repent for two or three periods of seven days, or even for as long as a year, until such a sign is seen.

After beholding an auspicious sign, one may receive the precepts before images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas. If one has not beheld an auspicious sign, then even if one receives the precepts before images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, one cannot be said to have obtained the precepts. If one receives the bodhisattva precepts in person before a Dharma teacher who received them previously, there is no need to behold an auspicious sign.

Why? Because that Dharma teacher received the precepts through transmission from earlier Dharma teachers and now transmits them to oneself; therefore, beholding an auspicious sign is not required. By receiving the precepts before such a Dharma teacher, one obtains them immediately, through the utterly sincere and reverent mind that arises at that moment.

If, within a thousand miles, there is no one able to serve as a Dharma teacher and transmit the bodhisattva precepts, one who wishes to receive them may undertake them personally before images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, but only on the condition that one repent until an auspicious sign is beheld. If a Dharma teacher prides himself on his understanding of the Mahayana sutras, disciplinary texts, and precepts; associates only with kings, princes, and officials; and, when bodhisattva beginners come to ask about the meaning of the sutras or precepts, contemptuously, maliciously, and arrogantly fails to answer each of their questions properly, he commits a minor offense.

(24. One Must Not Study Other Texts)

If a disciple of the Buddha has access to the true Mahayana Dharma contained in the sutras and disciplinary texts taught by the Tathagata—a true Dharma complete with right view, true nature, and the true Dharma-body—but fails to study and practice it diligently, and instead abandons this precious true Dharma, which is like the seven treasures, to study the writings of the Two Vehicles, non-Buddhist paths, and secular traditions that deny Buddha-nature, such as Abhidharma treatises, miscellaneous doctrines, poetry, literature, biographies, and chronicles, one thereby loses Buddha-nature and obstructs one’s cultivation of the path; this is not the practice of the bodhisattva path. If one deliberately studies such works, one commits a minor offense.

(25. One Must Not Abuse Authority and Cause Disorder)

If, after the Tathagata has entered nirvana, a disciple of the Buddha serves as the person in charge of expounding the Dharma, conducting religious practice, managing a Sangha residence, teaching and guiding others, overseeing meditation, or arranging travel, one must give rise to compassion, skillfully reconcile all conflicts, and carefully safeguard the property of the Three Jewels, never using it immoderately as though it were one’s own. If, on the contrary, one causes disorder within the Sangha through disputes and uses the property of the Three Jewels as one pleases, one commits a minor offense.

(26. One Must Not Fail to Receive Visiting Sangha Members)

If a child of the Buddha has already been residing in a Sangha dwelling and later sees bhikshus or bodhisattva-bhikshus coming to that Sangha dwelling, to a house, city, or village where he resides, to a residence established by the king, to a place where the rains retreat is being observed, or to a place where a great assembly for cultivating merit is being held, then, as a member of the Sangha already residing there, he must welcome them upon arrival, see them off upon departure, and offer them food and drink, lodging, bedding, rope beds or wooden beds, providing them with everything they need.

If he has nothing readily available, he must endeavor to provide whatever they require, even if he must sell himself and his own children. If a donor then comes to invite the Sangha, the visiting Sangha members are likewise entitled to a share; therefore, the head of the Sangha dwelling must invite them to accept the invitation according to their proper order. If the resident Sangha alone accepts a private invitation without including the visiting Sangha members, the head of the Sangha dwelling incurs immeasurable offenses.

He is no different from an animal, is not a shramana, and does not belong to the lineage of the Shakyas. If he deliberately acts in this way, he commits a minor offense.

(27. One must not accept private invitations)

Under no circumstances may a child of the Buddha accept a private invitation and take all the offerings for himself. Offerings belong to the Sangha of the ten directions. To accept a private invitation is to take the property of the Sangha of the ten directions for oneself; it also infringes upon the offerings due to the Buddha, holy ones, masters, Sangha, parents, and the sick among the eight fields of merit. Because one uses them solely for oneself, one commits a minor offense.

(28. One must not invite Sangha members privately)

Whether a child of the Buddha is a monastic who has received the bodhisattva precepts, a layperson who has received the bodhisattva precepts, or any donor, when wishing to invite the Sangha to make offerings and prayers, that person must go to the Sangha dwelling, approach the administrator, and state: “I wish to invite members of the Sangha according to their proper order to receive offerings and prayers.” In this way, one invites the Sangha of sages and saints throughout the ten directions.

If one makes private invitations based on worldly considerations, then even inviting five hundred arhat and bodhisattva Sangha members does not equal inviting a single ordinary Sangha member according to the Sangha’s proper order. Private invitation is the custom of non-Buddhist paths; none of the seven Buddhas instituted regulations permitting private invitation. Such conduct is contrary to the Way of filial devotion.

If one deliberately makes private invitations, one commits a minor offense.

(29. One must not live by wrong livelihood)

If, out of malice and desire for profit, a child of the Buddha traffics in male or female prostitutes; personally prepares food, mills grain, or pounds it; reads the physiognomy of men and women; interprets auspicious and inauspicious dreams; predicts whether a fetus is male or female; practices spells or magical arts; trains birds and beasts for hunting, such as training falcons; or compounds poisons by mixing hundreds or thousands of poisonous substances, including snake venom, mineral poisons from raw gold and silver, and poisons from venomous insects and gu—being utterly devoid of compassion and filial devotion—then, if he deliberately acts in this way, he commits a minor offense.

(30. One must not disrespect sacred observance periods)

If, out of an unwholesome mind, a child of the Buddha personally slanders the Three Jewels while outwardly appearing deeply devoted to them—speaking only of emptiness, while all his actions remain entirely bound to existence: acting as an agent for worldly people, arranging matches between men and women for them, bringing about sexual unions, and creating all manner of entanglements; and even during the six fasting days of each month or the three fasting months of each year, killing, stealing, breaking the fast, and violating the precepts—he commits a minor offense.

These ten minor precepts are such that you must study, reverently uphold, and faithfully observe them, as fully explained in the Tathagata’s Chapter on the Establishment of the Precepts.

(31. One must not fail to rescue and redeem)

If, after the Tathagata has entered nirvana, during an evil age, a child of the Buddha sees followers of non-Buddhist paths, cruel persons, or bandits seize and sell images of the Buddha, images of bodhisattvas, images one venerates as one’s own parents, sutras, Vinaya texts, bhikshus, bhikshunis, or bodhisattvas who have newly aroused the bodhi mind, turning them over to officials for forced service or to others as male or female slaves—then, as a bodhisattva, upon seeing such circumstances, he must give rise to compassion, seek every possible means to rescue and protect them, and travel everywhere exhorting people to contribute money and goods to redeem the images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, the bhikshus and bhikshunis, the bodhisattvas who have newly aroused the mind,

and the sutras and Vinaya texts.

If he does not redeem them in this way, he commits a minor offense.

(32. One must not harm sentient beings)

A child of the Buddha must not store or trade knives, clubs, bows, or arrows; use undersized or underweight measuring instruments in ordinary commerce; rely upon the power of government officials to seize another’s property; imprison others or maliciously obstruct their success; or raise cats, civets, pigs, or dogs. If he deliberately does such things, he commits a minor offense.

(33. One must not engage in wrongdoing with a deviant mind)

A child of the Buddha must not, with an impure mind, watch contests of strength between men and women, military battles, fights among generals and soldiers, or clashes involving bandits and robbers. He must not watch or listen to singing and dancing, gamble, practice divination, or act as a liaison for bandits. Not one of these things may be done. If he deliberately does them, he commits a minor offense.

(34. One must not abandon the bodhi mind)

A child of the Buddha must strictly uphold the precepts. In all activities—walking, standing, lying down, and sitting—and throughout the six periods of day and night, he must recite these precepts. He must uphold them with a resolve as firm as vajra, guard them as one guards a flotation device when crossing the great ocean, and uphold them with the determination of the bhikshu who allowed himself to be bound with grass.

He must forever give rise within himself to the noble faith of the Mahayana, knowing with certainty: “I am a Buddha yet to be, just as all Buddhas are Buddhas already accomplished,” and never allow the bodhi mind to depart from his thoughts for even an instant. If, nevertheless, he gives rise to even a single thought belonging to the Two Vehicles or to non-Buddhist paths, he commits a minor offense.

(35. One must not fail to make great vows)

A child of the Buddha must constantly make all manner of vows: the vow to be filially devoted to parents, masters, the Sangha, and the Three Jewels; the vow to encounter an excellent Dharma master and good spiritual friends who share the same field of study, so that they may continually teach him the Mahayana sutras and Vinaya and the bodhisattva stages—the Ten Initiations, the Ten Nurturing Stages, the Ten Vajra Stages, and the Ten Grounds—enabling him to understand and practice them correctly; and the vow to steadfastly uphold the Buddha’s precepts, even at the cost of his life, never allowing the resolve to uphold them to fall away from his mind for even an instant. If a bodhisattva fails to make all such vows, he commits a minor offense.

(36. One must not fail to make great pledges)

After a disciple of the Buddha has brought forth the ten great vows, in order to uphold the Buddha’s precepts steadfastly, the disciple should further make the following pledges: “I would rather cast this body into a fiery pit or onto a mountain of knives than ever violate the precepts of the Buddhas of the three times by committing an impure act with any woman. I further vow that I would rather have a thousand layers of red-hot iron netting wrapped around my body than clothe this precept-breaking body in garments offered by the faithful.

I vow that I would rather have my mouth swallow red-hot iron pellets or raging streams of fire for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes than use this precept-breaking mouth to consume food offered by the faithful. I vow that I would rather have this body lie within a red-hot iron net or upon red-hot iron ground than use this precept-breaking body to lie or sit upon beds and seats offered by the faithful. I vow that I would rather have this body pierced by hundreds of spears for one lifetime or several lifetimes than use this precept-breaking body to partake of medicines offered by the faithful.

I vow that I would rather cast this body into a cauldron of molten iron for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes than use this precept-breaking body to dwell in rooms, houses, gardens, or lands offered by the faithful. I further vow that I would rather have this body struck with an iron mallet from head to foot and pulverized into fine dust than use this precept-breaking body to receive the reverence and prostrations of the faithful.

I further vow that I would rather have both eyes torn out by hundreds or thousands of red-hot iron instruments than use those eyes, with a mind intent on breaking the precepts, to look upon beautiful forms. I vow that I would rather have both ears pierced by hundreds or thousands of iron awls for one or two lifetimes than use those ears, with a mind intent on breaking the precepts, to listen to pleasing sounds. I vow that I would rather have my nose cut off by hundreds or thousands of sharp knives than use that nose, with a mind intent on breaking the precepts, to smell fragrant scents.

I vow that I would rather have my tongue severed by hundreds or thousands of sharp knives than use that tongue, with a mind intent on breaking the precepts, to taste delicious flavors. I vow that I would rather have this body hewn and dismembered by sharp axes than use this body, with a mind intent on breaking the precepts, to touch pleasurable objects.” The disciple should further make this vow: “I vow to enable all sentient beings to attain Buddhahood.” If a bodhisattva does not make such vows, the bodhisattva commits a minor defiling offense.

(37. One Must Not Venture into Dangerous Places)

A disciple of the Buddha should undertake two periods of dhutanga practice each year and should sit in meditation and observe the rains retreat in both winter and summer. When undertaking dhutanga practice, the disciple should always carry willow twigs for cleaning the teeth, cleansing beans, the three Dharma robes, a water flask, an alms bowl, a sitting mat, a khakkhara staff, an incense burner, a water-straining bag, a hand towel, a small knife, fire-making implements, tweezers, a rope bed, the sutra and vinaya of the Bodhisattva Precepts, and images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

When a bodhisattva undertakes dhutanga practice or travels about teaching and transforming others, even when journeying hundreds or thousands of miles, these eighteen articles should always be carried along. The two periods of dhutanga practice extend from the full moon of the first lunar month to the full moon of the third lunar month, and from the full moon of the eighth lunar month to the full moon of the tenth lunar month.

During both periods, these eighteen articles should always accompany the practitioner, just as two wings accompany a bird. When performing the posadha and reciting the precepts, bodhisattvas who have newly begun their training must perform the posadha every half-month and recite the ten major precepts and the forty-eight minor precepts. The recitation should be performed before images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

When one person performs the posadha, that person recites; when two or three, or even hundreds or thousands of people perform it, only one person recites. The reciter sits on a higher seat, while the listeners sit below. Everyone should wear a Dharma robe of nine, seven, or five panels.

The summer retreat must be observed in every respect according to the prescribed procedure. When undertaking dhutanga practice, do not go to dangerous places: perilous places; places ruled by cruel sovereigns; terrain that is excessively high or low; places overgrown with dense vegetation; places inhabited by tigers, leopards, or lions; places prone to disasters of water, fire, or wind; places infested by bandits; or roads filled with venomous snakes.

One must not go to any such dangerous place. Whether undertaking dhutanga practice or observing the summer retreat, one must not go to or dwell in such dangerous places. If a bodhisattva deliberately does so, the bodhisattva commits a minor defiling offense.

(38. One Must Not Sit Out of Order)

A disciple of the Buddha should be seated in the proper order prescribed by the true Dharma: those who received the precepts earlier should sit before those who received them later. Regardless of age or youth, whether bhiksu or bhiksuni, noble person, king, prince, eunuch, male servant, or female attendant, all should observe the rule that those who received the precepts earlier sit first, while those who received them later sit successively behind them.

Do not behave like foolish followers of non-Buddhist paths, among whom old and young alike sit without precedence or sequence, all mixed together like hired soldiers and slaves. In the true Dharma of the Tathagata, those who came first sit first, and those who came later sit afterward. If bodhisattvas do not each sit in the proper order prescribed by the true Dharma, they commit a minor defiling offense.

(39. One Must Not Fail to Bring Benefit and Well-Being)

A disciple of the Buddha should constantly encourage and guide people to build Sangha residences, establish forest retreats and fields and gardens, construct Buddha stupas, and establish places for sitting in meditation and observing the retreats in winter and summer. In brief, all facilities for practicing the Way should be built. A bodhisattva must also expound the Mahayana sutras and vinaya to everyone.

In times of illness, national calamity, or warfare, and on the anniversaries of the deaths of one’s parents, siblings, preceptor, or acarya, from that day until the end of the third and seventh seven-day periods, one should also uphold, recite, and expound the Mahayana sutras and vinaya. When holding vegetarian feasts to seek blessings, or before traveling on business and thereby risking being consumed by raging fire, swept away or submerged by floodwaters, or having one’s boat blown off course by storms and imperiled upon great rivers or seas filled with the danger of raksasas, one should likewise first read, recite, explain, and teach the Mahayana sutras and vinaya.

This applies even to all painful retributions associated with the three evil destinies, the seven heinous offenses, the eight difficulties, cangues and fetters, chains and bonds, excessive lust, excessive anger, excessive delusion, and frequent illness: in all such cases, one should expound the Mahayana sutras and vinaya. If a newly initiated bodhisattva does not do so, the bodhisattva commits a minor defiling offense.

You should study these nine minor precepts, reverently honor them, and uphold them as the Tathagata will explain in detail in the Brahmadanda Chapter.

(40. One Must Not Discriminate When Transmitting the Precepts)

A disciple of the Buddha, when conferring the bodhisattva precepts upon others, must not discriminate among them. All kings, princes, prime ministers, and officials; bhiksus and bhiksunis; good men and faithful women; men and women engaged in sexual misconduct; Brahma gods of the eighteen heavens of the Form Realm; heavenly beings of the six heavens of the Desire Realm; those without sexual organs, those with both sexual organs, eunuchs, male and female servants and concubines, and all ghosts and spirits—each and every one may receive the bodhisattva precepts.

Those receiving the bodhisattva precepts must be instructed to dye their Dharma robes in muted colors, in accordance with the true Dharma. Muted colors means that all Dharma robes and bedding are dyed in colors that subdue the primary colors of blue, yellow, red, white, black, and purple. All other garments must likewise be dyed in muted colors.

Generally speaking, in whatever country one may be, the clothing worn by a bhiksu must differ from the manner in which the people of that country dress. When someone is about to receive the bodhisattva precepts, the bodhisattva Dharma master must question that person as to whether, in the present body, they have committed any of the seven heinous offenses. The bodhisattva Dharma master must not confer the bodhisattva precepts upon anyone who has committed any of the seven heinous offenses in the present body.

The seven heinous offenses are causing the body of a Buddha to bleed; killing one’s father; killing one’s mother; killing one’s preceptor; killing one’s acharya; disrupting the Sangha united in its formal acts or the Sangha united in turning the Dharma wheel; and killing a holy person. If a person has committed any of these seven heinous offenses, that person cannot receive the bodhisattva precepts in the present body.

Apart from this, anyone may receive and attain these precepts. According to the rule for those who have gone forth, they do not bow to kings, parents, relatives, ghosts, or spirits. Therefore, they must neither favor nor reject anyone.

If anyone who can understand the speech of the bodhisattva Dharma master comes from a hundred or a thousand miles away to seek the bodhisattva precepts, yet that Dharma master, out of deeply rooted malice or hatred, does not immediately transmit to them the precepts in which all sentient beings have a share, the Dharma master commits a minor defiling offense.

(41. One Must Not Become a Teacher for Personal Gain)

If a disciple of the Buddha has taught someone and caused that person to give rise to faith in the Mahayana, and, as a bodhisattva serving as a Dharma master who instructs others, sees that person wishing to receive the bodhisattva precepts, the disciple must instruct that person on how to invite the two great teachers: the preceptor and the acharya. These two great teachers must ask whether that person has committed any of the seven heinous offenses, which obstruct one from receiving and attaining the bodhisattva precepts.

If that person has committed any of the seven heinous offenses in the present body, the Dharma master must not permit that person to receive the bodhisattva precepts. If that person has not committed any of the seven heinous offenses, the Dharma master may permit them to receive the precepts. If someone has violated any of the ten major precepts, the Dharma master must instruct that person to repent before images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas.

Throughout the six periods of day and night, that person must recite the ten major precepts and the forty-eight minor precepts, and, with utmost earnestness, bow in homage to the three thousand Buddhas of the three times—past, present, and future—praying to behold an auspicious sign. Whether for one period of seven days, three periods of seven days, or even for as long as a year, that person must continue until an auspicious sign appears.

An auspicious sign is to see a Buddha come and stroke the crown of one’s head, to see the Buddha’s light, to see a Buddha’s lotus flower, or to see some other extraordinary sign. Then the offenses immediately dissolve. If no such auspicious sign is seen, then even though that person repents, it will not enable them to regain the precepts in the present body; nevertheless, it will benefit them in receiving the precepts anew.

If anyone violates any of the forty-eight minor precepts, the Dharma master must instruct that person to repent by openly disclosing the offense face-to-face, whereupon the offense immediately dissolves. Violations of the major or minor precepts are not the same as the seven heinous offenses. One who serves as a Dharma master and instructor must thoroughly understand each and every one of the foregoing methods.

If one does not understand what is correct or incorrect, or which offenses against the Mahayana precepts are grave or light; if one does not comprehend the truth of the ultimate meaning, the nature of the seed developed through practice, the nature of cultivation and growth, the indestructible nature, the nature of the seed of the Way, or the nature of the true Dharma; if, regarding all such natures belonging to the stages of a bodhisattva, one does not clearly understand the extent of contemplative practice or how to enter and emerge from them;

and if one likewise fails to understand each and every meaning and principle within the ten components of meditative concentration and the many other Dharma practices—yet, as a bodhisattva, for the sake of profit, fame, and the craving for disciples, with base and excessive acquisitiveness, pretends to understand everything, then one deceives oneself and also deceives others.

If one nevertheless deliberately transmits the bodhisattva precepts to others, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(42. One Must Not Explain the Precepts to Evil Persons)

A disciple of the Buddha must not, for the sake of personal gain, explain the great precepts of the thousands of Buddhas before those who have not received the bodhisattva precepts, followers of non-Buddhist paths, or evil persons. Nor may one explain them before those who deny Buddha-nature. With the exception of kings, one must not explain them to anyone of these kinds.

Followers of non-Buddhist paths and evil persons who do not accept the precepts of the Buddhas are like animals. Life after life, wherever they are born, they do not encounter the Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha. Like trees and stones, they are without spiritual awareness; therefore, they are called followers of non-Buddhist paths and evil persons.

Those who deny Buddha-nature are no different from blocks of wood. If a bodhisattva speaks of the teachings and precepts of the seven Buddhas before such people, the bodhisattva commits a minor defiling offense.

(43. One Must Not Deliberately Violate the Precepts)

If a disciple of the Buddha, having gone forth through faith in the Mahayana and received the essential precepts of the Buddhas, deliberately gives rise to the intention to violate these precepts, which engender uncontaminated wisdom, that person should not accept any offerings from donors and is unworthy to walk upon the land of the country or drink its water. Five thousand malevolent ghosts constantly stand before that person and say to one another, “This is a great thief.” Whenever that person enters a room, city, village, or house, the ghosts continually sweep away their footprints.

Everyone in the world reviles that person, saying, “This is a thief within the Buddha-Dharma.” No sentient being wishes to look upon them. One who violates the precepts is no different from an animal or a block of wood. If one deliberately violates the essential precepts of the Buddhas, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(44. One Must Not Fail to Revere the Sutras and Vinaya)

A disciple of the Buddha must always single-mindedly receive, uphold, read, and recite the Mahayana sutras and Vinaya. One should be willing to strip off one’s skin to make paper, pierce one’s body for blood to make ink, draw out one’s marrow to make liquid, and split one’s bones to make pens in order to copy the precepts of the Buddhas. One must also copy and preserve them on paper made from tree bark, such as dó paper and felted paper; on silk, white silk, or plain raw silk; and on bamboo tablets.

One should then continually use the seven precious substances, or priceless assorted jewels that are fragrant and beautiful, to make cases and pouches in which to reverently enshrine these Mahayana sutras and Vinaya texts. If one does not make offerings to them properly in this way, one commits a minor defiling offense.

(45. One Must Not Fail to Teach and Transform Sentient Beings)

A disciple of the Buddha must continually arouse the mind of great compassion. Upon entering cities, villages, or houses and seeing anyone at all, one should say, “You should receive the Three Refuges and the ten precepts.” Upon seeing any animal—whether ox, horse, pig, or goat—one should think in one’s mind and say aloud, “You animals, you should give rise to the bodhi mind.” As a bodhisattva, wherever one goes—whether to mountains, forests, ravines, streams, or open fields—one must cause all sentient beings to give rise to the bodhi mind. If a bodhisattva does not teach and transform sentient beings in this way, the bodhisattva commits a minor defiling offense.

(46. One Must Not Teach Contrary to the Proper Manner)

A Buddhist disciple should always go forth to teach and guide others with the aspiration of great compassion that one constantly arouses. Yet whether entering the home of a devotee or the home of the powerful and noble, and before any assembly whatsoever, a monastic must not stand while expounding the Dharma to laypeople. One must sit upon a high seat before them.

Even when a bhiksu Dharma teacher expounds the Dharma to all four assemblies, he must not stand upon the ground while speaking. When the Dharma is expounded, the Dharma teacher must be invited to sit upon a high seat and be presented with offerings of incense and flowers; the listeners of the four assemblies should sit in lower places, reverently following the Dharma teacher’s instructions with the same filial devotion they show their parents, and maintaining that reverence continuously, just as fire-worshiping ascetics keep their fire from going out.

If a Dharma teacher expounds the Dharma contrary to this prescribed manner, he commits a minor offense of defilement.

(47. One Must Not Impose Unreasonable Restrictions)

If a Buddhist disciple—whether a king, crown prince, official, or member of the four assemblies—has, with faith in the Mahayana, received the precepts of the Buddhas, but then, presuming upon his lofty rank and privilege, undermines the Tathagata’s Dharma and precepts by instituting regulations that restrict the Tathagata’s disciples of the four assemblies, preventing them from leaving the household life and practicing the Way, and also preventing them from making images, constructing monasteries and stupas, or disseminating the sutras and Vinaya; or if he establishes the office of superintendent to control the Sangha and creates registers to enumerate its members;

or if he makes bodhisattva bhiksus stand upon the ground while a white-robed layman seats himself in a high place, committing many acts contrary to the Dharma and creating a condition like that of conscripted slaves serving their master—then he acts wrongly.

Bodhisattva bhiksus are worthy of everyone’s reverence; how could they instead be reduced to servants of officials and rulers, contrary to the Dharma and the precepts? If kings and officials have received the precepts of the Buddhas with wholesome intentions, they must not commit such offenses that undermine the Three Jewels. If one deliberately adopts measures that undermine the Three Jewels, one commits a minor offense of defilement.

(48. One Must Not Undermine the True Dharma)

If a Buddhist disciple has left the household life with wholesome intentions, but then, for the sake of fame and personal gain, speaks before kings and officials about the precepts of the Buddhas in a highly unreasonable manner, thereby causing bhiksus, bhiksunis, and those who have received the bodhisattva precepts to be subjected to imprisonment and military conscription, he is like a worm within the lion’s own body that devours the lion’s flesh, not a worm from outside.

It is precisely such Buddhist disciples who destroy the Buddha-Dharma; neither non-Buddhists nor demon kings can destroy it. Therefore, one who receives the precepts of the Buddhas must cherish and protect them as a mother loves her only child and as a child serves his parents, and must not violate them. When a bodhisattva hears non-Buddhists or evil persons utter malicious words that slander and undermine the precepts of the Buddhas, it should be as though three hundred sharp points pierced his heart and as though his body were beaten, slashed, and hewn by a thousand blades and ten thousand cudgels.

He would rather enter the hells himself for a hundred kalpas than hear even once the voice of an evil person malignantly slandering and undermining the precepts of the Buddhas. How much less, then, should he himself undermine the precepts of the Buddhas by creating conditions that encourage others to destroy the Buddha-Dharma, thereby leaving nothing that could be called a mind of filial devotion. If one deliberately acts in this way, one commits a minor offense of defilement.

These nine minor precepts you must study, revere, and uphold.

Disciples of the Buddha, you should receive and uphold the forty-eight minor precepts set forth above, just as the bodhisattvas of the past recited them, the bodhisattvas of the future will recite them, and the bodhisattvas of the present are now reciting them.

Disciples of the Buddha, listen carefully. The precepts comprising the ten grave and forty-eight minor precepts set forth above have been recited, will be recited, and are now being recited by the Buddhas of the three periods of time. The Tathagata now recites them in precisely the same way.

All of you in this great assembly—whether kings, princes, officials, bhiksus, bhiksunis, good men, or faithful women—whoever receives the bodhisattva precepts must receive, uphold, read, recite, explain, and transcribe this sutra that teaches the precepts of the eternally abiding Buddha-nature, and disseminate it among sentient beings throughout all time, so that the transformative influence of these precepts may continue forever without interruption.

By doing so, you will behold a thousand Buddhas, each of whom will extend his hand to you; lifetime after lifetime you will not fall into the evil destinies or the eight adversities, but will always be born among humans or devas. Thus, today beneath this bodhi tree, the Tathagata has briefly revealed the precepts of all seven Buddhas. All of you in this great assembly should single-mindedly study these precepts and joyfully put them into practice, just as the Tathagata has fully revealed each one in detail in the Exhortation to Study section of the Chapter on the Signless Heavenly King.

At that time, the three thousand practitioners of the bodhisattva path among the listeners present heard the Blessed One personally recite the precepts in this way. Each reverently followed them in mind, and received and upheld them with joy and exaltation.

At that time, after Sakyamuni Buddha had finished teaching the section on the Inexhaustible Precepts in the Chapter on the Dharma Gateway of the Mind-Ground, originally taught by Rocana Buddha in the Lotus Treasury World, the other thousand times a thousand times a hundred kotis of Sakyamuni Buddhas likewise taught exactly the same. From the palace of the Great Sovereign Heavenly King down to the bodhi tree, passing through the ten places where the Dharma chapters were expounded to all bodhisattvas and to assemblies so vast that their number could not be expressed, all received, upheld, read, recited, and explained them in the same way.

In brief, throughout the thousand times a thousand times a hundred kotis of worlds, the Lotus Treasury World, and the other Lotus Treasury Worlds as numerous as motes of dust, all the treasuries of the Buddhas’ true Dharma were likewise expounded: the treasury of mind, the treasury of the grounds, the treasury of the precepts, the treasury of immeasurable practices and vows, and the treasury of the cause and effect of the eternally abiding Buddha-nature.

Thus the Buddhas finished expounding all the treasuries of the true Dharma. All sentient beings throughout the thousand times a thousand times a hundred kotis of worlds received and upheld them, rejoiced, and put them into practice. If the characteristics and meanings of the mind-ground were to be revealed extensively, they should be understood as taught in the Chapter on the Buddha, King of the Radiance of the Flower.

Those who are truly wise,

whose virtue of patience

and capacity for wisdom

are both powerful,

are thereby able to uphold

these bodhisattva precepts.

From now until attaining Buddhahood,

they will always receive five benefits:

First, all the Buddhas

will lovingly remember and always protect them.

Second, when approaching death,

they will possess right view and a joyful mind.

Third, wherever they are born,

they will have bodhisattvas as companions.

Fourth, their accumulation of merit

and perfection of the precepts will both be fulfilled.

Fifth, in this life

and in lives to come,

they will possess in full the merit and wisdom

of the precepts of intrinsic nature.

Precepts such as these

are the practice of the Buddhas.

Concerning this practice,

the wise should reflect well:

Those whose mental conduct resembles that of non-Buddhists,

who cling to appearances and grasp at a self,

can never faithfully accept

precepts such as these.

The wisdom of sravakas,

who realize nirvana through complete cessation,

is likewise not the field

in which to sow the seed of these precepts.

Those who wish to nurture the seedling

of the rice of bodhi-wisdom,

so that the light of that wisdom

may illuminate the whole world,

must constantly

calm and purify their minds,

and contemplate the true nature

of all dharmas,

which transcends every concept

of such opposing pairs as these:

arising and cessation,

eternity and nonexistence,

identity and contradiction,

appearance and transformation.

Through such contemplation,

strive to adorn yourselves:

what bodhisattvas must do

must be learned step by step.

Toward all those

whose training still continues

or whose training is complete,

do not give rise to discrimination;

this is the ultimate truth,

also called the Great Vehicle.

All erroneous conceptual proliferation

leaves no trace here,

and from here arises

the Buddha’s omniscient wisdom.

Therefore, disciples of the Buddha,

summon forth great courage:

regard the Buddha’s precepts

as you would guard a radiant jewel.

The bodhisattvas of the past

trained in these precepts;

those of the future will train in them,

just as those of the present are training now.

These precepts were established by the Buddhas;

these precepts are praised by the Buddhas;

and today I,

reverently following the Buddhas,

have recited once more this Dharma of precepts,

whose merit and virtue are immeasurable,

and dedicate them to sentient beings,

so that together we may turn toward

the Buddha’s omniscient wisdom.

I pray that all who

hear this Dharma of precepts

may swiftly attain the wisdom of a Buddha.