TEXT 21

天台菩薩戒御發願文

The Written Vows [for the] Tiantai Bodhisattva Precepts

(JPN: Tendai Bosatsukai Go Hotsugan Mon)

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Translated into English by Rev. Jikai 慈海 Tyler Dehn

©Translation by Jikai Tyler Dehn @ The Saichō Repository 最澄典藏 Project, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Available at: [insert URL of specific text page].

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天台菩薩戒御發願文

The Written Vows [for the] Tiantai Bodhisattva Precepts

ENGLISH	UNPUNCTUATED TEXT	PUNCTUATED TEXT
The [Bodhi]-sattvas of the three times, take the Precepts as their loving and nurturing mothers and fathers; and all the Buddhas of the ten directions regard these Precepts as the eternal abode of the True City.	夫三世薩埵。以戒爲養育父母。十方諸佛。以戒爲恒居眞城。	夫三世薩埵，以戒爲養育父母; 十方諸佛，以戒爲恒居眞城。
[For] the recipient, this is the transmission; and the transmission is Awakening. [This is because] the Knowledge and Insight (jñāna-darśana) of sentient beings is identical to the Mind of the Awakened Buddhas. [And so, what is] called the “True Platform for Receiving the Precepts” is the mind-ground to which “only Buddhas together with Buddhas” return and abide. Upon achieving True Awakening (saṃbodhi), [one] then abides upon the Ground of the True Characteristic [that is] one’s own mind; verily, this is is to step upon the True [Precept] Platform.	受者是傳。傳是覺。衆生知見即悟佛心。名眞受戒壇者。唯佛與佛還居心地。成正覺然居己心實相地。實爲履眞壇。	受者，是傳; 傳，是覺。衆生知見，即悟佛心。名眞受戒壇者，唯佛與佛，還居心地。成正覺，然居己心實相地; 實爲履眞壇。
[If on the contrary,] one were to [merely] exhaustively receive the Precepts of the Great and Lesser [Vehicles, then] at the end of his life [he would still only] have walked upon the Coarse Platform (i.e. not the ‘True Platform of the Buddhas’). This is not equal to even a single portion of the merit of True Escape, and is rather, [nothing more than the] removing of one’s hair, the pulling out of one’s locks, and the foundation esteemed by [so-called] ‘eminent monks’; [for] it is not abiding in the mind-ground of the True Characteristic. [And those on] the paths outside of [this True] Platform, will forever [remain] the retinue of ghosts and demons!	設大小無盡受戒。生盡履麁壇。出離指歸無一分徳。亦散落鬢髦鎖高僧貴原不居實相心地。壇外道常爲鬼魔眷屬。	設大、小，無盡受戒，生盡履麁壇。出離指歸無一分徳，亦散落鬢髦鎖，高僧貴原; 不居實相心地。壇外道，常爲鬼、魔，眷屬!
It is said that: [even] the white-robed [laity], servants, slaves and so forth, will on first seeing the True Characteristic of their Original Mind, rapidly put an end to their deluded conceptions; abide forever on the Stages of the Noble Ones; and no longer be persons within transmigration! [For] even the illumination of the Supranormal Penetrations (abhijñā), is [within] the purview of demons!	設言白衣僕奴等一見本心實相。妄想速息。常居聖位輪迴中非人也。神通光明亦是魔攝也。	設言: 白衣僕、奴等，一見本心實相，妄想速息，常居聖位，輪迴中非人也! 神通、光明，亦是魔攝也!
Nevertheless, though [they are now] seedlings emerging from the Ekayāna, it is by gathering in the Five Treasures that a ‘Golden Mountain’ is erected. [Likewise,] it is [in the place where] the two scrolls of the First and Second Orthodox Sūtras [containing] the Secret Essentials are enshrined, which is [properly speaking] called the ‘Precept Platform’.	雖然爲生一乘芽莖。拾五寶中建立金山。藏一二正經兩卷祕要。名爲戒壇。	雖然爲生一乘芽莖，拾五寶中建立金山。藏一、二，正經，兩卷祕要，名爲戒壇。
It is certain that [during the Age of] the Latter Dharma, [the world will be] without the fertilizer of Buddha-Dharma, and [the inherent] crudeness [of beings] will limit [their capacity for] Direct Perception. [Nevertheless,] due to the force of [their previously] generated causes and conditions, [these] deluded beings will be caused to [come] to the place where these Two Secret Essential Sūtras are!	定爲末法無佛法潤。粗止直見。依之令迷人生縁囙功。是祕要兩經等所在。	定爲末法無佛法潤，粗止直見。依之令迷人生縁囙功，是祕要兩經等所在。
“I vow that while I am in the world, so that I may reach the time when the Buddha manifests in [physical] form [once more], I will not put my faith in the destructive downfalls of proud [monks], nor in the shallow sūtras, [lest both] myself and others fall into the Nirayas (Hells) together.”   The Singular Transmission of the Three Noble Ones is to be found here!	願爲在世以通期佛生身。不信散落我慢淺經中。自他共沈泥梨。三聖傳一在斯矣。	願爲在世以通期佛生身，不信散落我慢，淺經中，自他共沈泥梨。   三聖傳一在斯矣!
(It is privately noted that the origin of this Transmission of the Complete Essentials, is the Precept Master Zhenhai of the Liaoyi Yuan [Hall] at the Qinglongsi [Temple], on Mount Tiantai. This transmission was bestowed upon the two individuals Kutta and Chishō. Thereafter it was transmitted generation after generation down to the present without cease… so they say…)	竊原此全肝相承。天台山内青龍寺了義院眞海律師。 此傳授掘多・知照二人。其後代代相承干今不絶（云云）。	(竊原此全肝相承，天台山内，青龍寺，了義院，眞海律師。 此傳授掘多、知照，二人。其後代代相承干今不絶（云云）。)
It is further noted: that the giving up of one’s life [for the sake of the Dharma] is truly a collective-undertaking, and cannot be viewed piecemeal (i.e. by looking at individual links in the chain).  [And] the intent [behind] the Prohibitions [established by] former Noble Ones, [was precisely that we] do not put our faith in superficial-perspectives (i.e. views). For how could [we let] a baby [treat] a treasure-sword as a [mere] possession!?   It is further noted: the Sequence of the Transmission of the Bloodline of the Three Contemplations in a Single Thought-moment, [is recorded] on a separate document.	又云捨身寔共界不可散見。先聖制意不信淺見。嬰兒寶劔豈爲財耶。 　又云。一心三觀血脈相承之次第在別紙。	又云: 捨身寔共界，不可散見。先聖制意，不信淺見。嬰兒寶劔，豈爲財耶!?   　又云: 一心三觀血脈相承之次第在別紙。

書寫奧書

A Recorded Postscript

ENGLISH	UNPUNCTUATED TEXT	PUNCTUATED TEXT
On the twenty eighth day of the eighth month of the third year of Kyōhō (1718 A.D./ a Guihui year 癸亥年), the Provisional Bishop Ryōshū of the Hōin [rank] from Kōtoku’in [Temple], copied this from the original.   The Bishop Gitai remarked: “In days of yore at the Precept Platform (Kaidan’in) on the Mountain (i.e. Mount Hiei), those receiving the precepts were given this document…so they say…”   It has been transmitted that this text was authored by Great Master [Dengyō, i.e. Saichō).	享保三癸亥年八月二十八日（ 1718）。以功徳院權僧正亮周法印御本寫之。義諦僧正云。往古於山門戒壇受戒者賜此一紙（云云）。大師御作文申傳。	享保三癸亥年，八月二十八日(1718 A.D.)，以功徳院權僧正亮周法印，御本寫之。   義諦僧正云: “往古於山門戒壇，受戒者，賜此一紙云云。”   大師御作文申傳。

原本：　　三井寺法明院藏寫本