Buddhist and non-Buddhist Ethics in MPPS

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Astus
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Buddhist and non-Buddhist Ethics in MPPS

Post by Astus »

Furthermore, there are sūtras of the heretics that allow killing (prāṇātipāta), theft (adattādana), sexual misconduct (kāmamithyācāra), lying (mṛṣāvāda) and the use of wine.

They say:
1) In sacrifices to the gods (devayajña), killing is not wrong because it is the practice of religion; if one is in difficulties, it is not wrong to kill an ordinary person to save one’s life, for in difficulties, it is to follow the right path.
2) Except for gold, it is permitted to steal in order to save one’s life. Later, the heretics will suppress this residue of fault.
3) Except for the consort of one’s teacher (guru), the wife of the king, the wife or daughter of a spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra), it is permitted to violate other women and to have sex with them.
4) It is permitted to lie in the interest of one’s teacher, one’s parents, one’s own life, one’s cattle, or in the rôle of a middleman.
5) When it is cold, it is permitted to drink liquor made from crystallized honey and, in the sacrifices to the gods, it is permitted to take one or two drops of wine.

In the Buddha’s Dharma, this is not permitted.
1) Out of loving-kindness (maitrīcitta) and equanimity (samacitta) towards all beings, it is forbidden to take the life of even an ant, the more so a man.
2) It is forbidden to take a needle (sūci) and thread (tantu), even more so, a valuable object.
3) It is forbidden to touch a courtesan (veśya), the more so another man’s wife (parakalatra).
4) It is forbidden to lie as a jest, the more so to make a (real) lie.
5) It is forbidden to drink any wine at any time, the more so when it is cold and during sacrifices to the gods.

The distance between the heretics and the Buddha’s Dharma is like the distance between heaven and earth. The law of the heretics is a generating source for passions (kleśamautthāpaka); the Buddha’s Dharma is the place of destruction of all the passions: this is the great difference.


(MPPS XXX.2; Ven. Dharmamitra's translation here on p 10-11; T1509p192a8-22)
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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