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The Upāsakaśīla Sūtra—One Text with All Virtuous Behavior of Lay People

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Buddhist Ethics for Laypeople

Part of the book series: The Humanities in Asia ((HIA,volume 10))

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Abstract

Starting from this chapter, we will focus on the Mahayana Upāsakaśīla Sūtra in Chinese Buddhism. Several characteristics of the sutra are introduced: it is considered a Mahayana version of the Sigālovāda Sutta because the former shares the same scenario and main character with the latter. In addition, this Mahayana text even incorporated most contents of the Sigālovāda Sutta in it. This scripture introduces a new set of precepts for lay Buddhists, which is commonly accepted as a type of bodhisattva precepts in Chinese Buddhism, though the sutra does not say so. This sutra recommends that lay Buddhists should tread on the bodhisattva path for achieving the Buddhahood because lay bodhisattvas are more privileged than the ordained bodhisattvas. At the end of the chapter, we give examples to show the sutra represents a living tradition because monasteries in Taiwan still hold ceremonies for lay followers to receive these unique lay bodhisattva precepts.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Shàn Shēng Jīng is an alias of the Upāsakaśīla Sūtra, because the hero of the both texts share the same name—Shàn-shēng. Interestingly, its precedent five texts in Early Buddhism have two types of title: one is related to Sigāla (DN 31). One tittle of the Chinese parallel texts—Shī Jiā Luó Yuè (T16) could be the transliteration of Sigālovāda. The other type is about Shàn Shēng since all three remaining Chinese sutras have this name in the titles. The Pali word Sigālovāda stands for Sigāla vāda, which means the instruction for Sigāla. The meaning of Sigāla is jackel, which is not equal to the meaning of Shàn-shēng—the well-born. The possible parallel Pāli word for Shàn-shēng should be Sujāta, as SĀ 852 has “Upāsaka Shàn-shēng, Upāsikā Shàn-shēng 善生優婆塞, 善生優婆夷” and its parallel Pāli sutta—SN 55.8 gives the name Sujātā. It could be that the original scriptures of the Chinese texts already have different names.

  2. 2.

    This additional name often used by commentators when they quoted from the Upāsakaśīla Sūtra. For example, Míng Xù 明續 (2016) in his Tiāntái púsàjiè shū 天台菩薩戒疏 explained fast by quoting the sutra: “善生經云: 是外道祠祀之日也, 年三長齋月者, **月是眾生現生之初, 五月是興盛之中, 九月是欲藏之始” (T.1812, p. 595a28–b2); Fǎ Cáng 法藏 (2016) explained what the causes of Buddhas’ auspicious marks in Huá yán jīng tàn xuán jì 華嚴經探玄記: “善生經以大悲為因, 彼經云: 是三十二相即是大悲之果報” (T.1733, p. 397b14–15).

  3. 3.

    Examples have been given in Chap. 1, under the heading of “The Upāsakaśīla Sūtra”.

  4. 4.

    In this citation, the translator gives “habits” instead of “sīla”.

  5. 5.

    The first meaning given in PED.

  6. 6.

    The two Chinese translated texts of the Ugraparipṛcchā Sūtra that have the term jiè dé 戒德 are: Yù-jiā-luó-yuè wèn púsà xíngjīng (2020): “唯願世尊說居家菩薩戒德之法” (p. 23b13–4); Dà bǎo jī jīng (2020): “世尊! 唯願演說在家菩薩戒德行處” (p. 472c10).

  7. 7.

    However, the Upāsakaśīla Sūtra does not mention the bodhi of the great disciples.

  8. 8.

    Zhòng jīng mùlù (Fǎ Jīng 法經, 2020) has: “優婆塞戒經十卷 (是在家菩薩戒)” (p. 139b3); Dà táng nèi diǎn lù (Dào Xuān 道宣, 2020) reads: “優婆塞戒經 (六卷或七卷是在家菩薩戒八十二紙)” (p. 294a10); Kāiyuán shìjiào lù (Zhì Shēng 智昇, 2020) reads: “優婆塞戒經七卷 (或無經字是在家菩薩戒或五卷或六卷或十卷” (p. 519c26).

  9. 9.

    Fú shuō Shī-jiā-luó-yuè liù-fāng lǐ jīng (2021) reads: “勉進以六度, 修行致自然…所生趣精進, 六度為橋梁” (p. 252a21, 29).

  10. 10.

    Yù-jiā-luó-yuè wèn pú-sà-xíng jīng (2020) reads: “是郁迦長者雖住居家地, 常有等心, 於是賢劫所度人民甚多, 勝餘出家菩薩百千人教授” (p. 30c3–5).

  11. 11.

    “所以, 雖在傳統的立場, 深厭在家的過患, 欣慕出家生活, 而在菩薩道中, 表示了推重在家 (而梵行) 菩薩的理想” (p. 1046a13–15).

  12. 12.

    “菩薩道是依釋尊過去的本生 (Jātaka) 而形成的. 在本生中, 修菩薩行的, 不一定是出家的” (p. 102a10–11).

  13. 13.

    “菩薩行的開展, 是從兩方面發展的…二, 從聲聞在家信眾中間發展起來…如維摩詰, 善財, 常啼, 賢護等十六大士, 都從在家眾的立場, 努力於大乘思想的教化” (pp. 249a12–250a6).

  14. 14.

    “然在佛教發展中, 大乘佛教已傾向於在家中心了” (p. 86a12–13).

  15. 15.

    Examples can be seen in Shih (1994, p. 34).

  16. 16.

    The Master used headings “jié zàijiā shèng 結在家勝” [concluding that lay people are superior] or “xiǎn zàijiā shèng 顯在家勝” [showing that lay people are superior] to indicate the passage’s meaning (Tài Xū, n.d.).

  17. 17.

    “在家菩薩能多度人, 出家菩薩則不如是, 何以故? 若無在家, 則無三乘出家之人” (CBETA 2020.Q3, T24, no. 1488, p. 1044a13–15).

  18. 18.

    “出家之人, 唯能具足五波羅蜜, 不能具足檀波羅蜜, 在家之人則能具足, 何以故?一切時中一切施故” (CBETA 2020.Q3, T24, no. 1488, p. 1036c12–14).

  19. 19.

    This topic has been discussed in Chap. 3 of this book.

  20. 20.

    As said in SĀ2 152: “佛告釋摩男: ‘不殺不盜不婬不欺, 及不飲酒等, 是名優婆塞戒’” (CBETA 2020.Q1, T02, no. 100, p. 431b14–15).

  21. 21.

    As mentioned in AN 8.41 and EĀ 43.2.

  22. 22.

    “若優婆塞受三歸已, 不受五戒, 名優婆塞” (CBETA 2020.Q1, T24, no. 1488, p. 1049a21–22).

  23. 23.

    The sutra does not name the six major and twenty-eight minors as “bodhisattva precepts”. This designation came from the Chinese Buddhist tradition and existed in catalogues of Buddhist scriptures.

  24. 24.

    “出家菩薩名為比丘, 在家菩薩名優婆塞” (CBETA 2020.Q3, T24, no. 1488, p. 1050b10).

  25. 25.

    AN 5.176 (Bodhi, 2012, p. 789).

  26. 26.

    AN 10.46 (Bodhi, 2012, p. 1397).

  27. 27.

    For example, the Yōu pó sāi jiè jīng (2020) says: “莊嚴菩提者, 優婆塞戒至菩薩戒, 能為阿耨多羅三藐三菩提初地根基, 是名莊嚴” (CBETA 2020.Q1, T24, no. 1488, p. 1053b5–6).

  28. 28.

    “優婆塞戒…能為沙彌十戒, 大比丘戒及菩薩戒, 乃至阿耨多羅三藐三菩提而作根本” (CBETA 2020.Q1, T24, no. 1488, p. 1047c26–29).

  29. 29.

    The version of Brahmajāla tradition has ten major rules.

  30. 30.

    “不得虛說我得不淨觀至阿那含” (CBETA 2020.Q1, T24, no. 1488, p. 1049b9).

  31. 31.

    This is a Chinese book which can be read online: http://ftp.budaedu.org/publish/C4/CH47/CH470-13-01-001.PDF.

  32. 32.

    According to Chuán-jiè zhèng fàn 傳戒**範 [The rituals for transmitting precepts]: “二阿闍黎轉向菩薩戒法師三拜復位”, which indicates that the ceremony of transmitting the bodhisattva precepts needs one preceptor and two acariyas (CBETA 2021.Q3, X60, no. 1128, p. 670b18–19 // R107, p. 110b7–8 // Z 2:12, p. 55d7–8).

  33. 33.

    Zài-jiā-lǜ yào guǎng-jí reads: “他緣既無開聽, 恐難輕許, 止可授通途五戒, 并梵網地持等戒耳” (CBETA 2021.Q1, X60, no. 1123, p. 480c18–19 // R106, p. 777b1–2 // Z 2:11, p. 389b1–2).

  34. 34.

    “若授在家菩薩優婆塞, 六重二十八輕戒者, 科儀同此, 唯異戒相” (CBETA 2021.Q1, X60, no. 1128, p. 676a19–20 // R107, p. 122a2–3 // Z 2:12, p. 61c2–3).

  35. 35.

    “此一種菩薩優婆塞, 乃是居士中尊, 與比邱內外夾輔, 共興佛法者, 故授法獨加慎重” (CBETA 2021.Q1, X60, no. 1123, p. 480c16–18 // R106, p. 777a17-1 // Z 2:11, p. 389a17-1).

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  1. Noble Path Buddhist Education Fellowship, New York, NY, USA

    Tien-Feng Lee

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Lee, TF. (2022). The Upāsakaśīla Sūtra—One Text with All Virtuous Behavior of Lay People. In: Buddhist Ethics for Laypeople. The Humanities in Asia, vol 10. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8468-5_6

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