The Precept Entity of a Bodhisattva

 

“Good sons! Some people diligently seek the upāsaka precepts but still fail to attain them despite cultivating them, as taught over immeasurable lives. The same is true for some monastics seeking the precepts of bhiksus and bhiksunis. Why is this so? It is because they have not attained the dharma of liberational portion; hence, this can only be called cultivating precepts, not observing precepts.” Sutra on Upāsaka Precepts, Chapter IV

 

【善男子！有人勤求優婆塞戒，於無量世如聞而行亦不得戒，有出家人求比丘戒、比丘尼戒，於無量世如聞而行亦不能得，何以故？不能獲得解脫分法，是故可名修戒，不名持戒。】

優婆塞戒經〈解脫品〉第四

Remarks:

The power of the precepts in the mind will restrain one’s body and mind; this is called the precept entity/body. This is speaking from the perspective of the liberational dharma. The bodhisattva precepts carried out by practitioners before enlightenment can provide only the conditions of the precepts (the basic moral codes followed by all Buddhists). In other words, the true precept entity can take place only after one’s enlightenment, under the condition that one has successfully aligned oneself with the True Mind. After enlightenment, practitioners can observe the interrelationship between the tathagatagarbha (the alayavijnana) and nirvana, along with the interrelationships between all the seeds of good and bad karmas. Only by attaining the dharma of the liberational portion as such can practitioners be said to have the precept entity of a bodhisattva. 

Only by understanding that all wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral karmic seeds will be stored in their own eighth-consciousness minds without fail can practitioners acquire firm certitude of the True Mind realized and no longer be doubtful of it. Henceforth, when practitioners refrain from committing any misdeeds that will create negative karma, the power of the precepts will come forth. This denotes the precept entity.

#Buddha #alayavijnana #preceptentity