請立大乘戒表
Petition Requesting [Permission to] Institute the use of the Mahāyāna Precepts
(JPN: Shōritsu Daijōkai Hyō)
ATTRIBUTION
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].
You may share this work freely with attribution (as above), but no modifications or commercial use is allowed without express permission from Jikai Tyler Dehn. See USE/ATTRIBUTION for more information.
Text Overview:
The Shōritsu Daijōkai Hyō or Petition Requesting [Permission to] Institute the use of the Mahāyāna Precepts is directed towards Emperor Saga 嵯峨天皇 786 – 842 A.D., and demonstrates that long after Saichō‘s patron had passed (i.e. Emperor Kammu 桓武天皇 735 – 9 April 806 A.D.), he was still struggling to receive Imperial validation for his ordination proposals.
This document reads very similar in sections to TEXT 5 or Petition Requesting [Permission to Ordain] Bodhisattva Home-leavers. This is not surprising as they serve similar purposes, but they are useful to read together. TEXT 5 is dated two months before the present text, and so it has been wondered whether this work represents a draft of the former?
But on close inspection, the present work appears more edited and refined than the other. And so their similarities are likely a product not of different versions of the same petition, but rather of concurrent petitions submitted with similar language, in order to bring to mind the repeated petitions already submitted.
Saichō‘s proposals would only be granted after his death, and we can surmise that the Court may have used the passing of the Great Master, as a means of silencing remaining opposition. That is to say, voices that would have otherwise objected would have been less likely to express their distaste, because the Court had granted Saichō‘s proposals out of their grief at his loss.
This petition was circulated beside a set of remarks attributed to Saichō in his biography, which were deemed relevant to the content of the petition. These remarks consist in the main, of Saichō‘s strong affirmation of the Bodhisattva Precepts, and his decision to renounce the Precepts of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya. This is followed by a short-form of the Lineage of the Bodhisattva Precepts, designed to inform the reader that this lineage was transmitted from Vulture Peak itself:
“The two Great Masters Nanyue [Huisi] and Tiantai [Zhiyi], personally heard the Dharma Flower Sūtra in the past on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, and together received the Three Sets of Precepts of the Bodhisattva [there]. And this is what has been bestowed from teacher to teacher [subsequently].”
南嶽、天台，兩大師，昔於靈山，親開法華經，兼受菩薩三聚戒。所以師師相授。
TEXT:
| ENGLISH | UNPUNCTUATED TEXT | PUNCTUATED TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| The śramaṇa Saichō [wishes to] relate [the following]: Saichō has heard it said that: the Prohibitive Precepts of the Tathāgata differ depending on the capacity [of the beings in question]; the aspiration which is generated by sentient beings also diverges as to the Mahāyāna or to the Hīnayāna; the seat of honour is filled differently by [either] Mañjuśrī [or] Piṇḍola; and the [processes for ordination] differs is entirely different [with either] one master, [or] ten masters [required to participate]. | 沙門最澄言。最澄聞。如來制戒隨機不同。衆生發心大小亦別。文殊豆盧上座別位。一師十師羯磨全異。 | 沙門最澄言: 最澄聞: 如來制戒，隨機不同; 衆生發心，大、小，亦別; 文殊、豆盧上座，別位; 一師、十師，羯磨全異。 |
| Accordingly, the Late Noble Emperor Kammu, [granted] two yearly-allotted ordinands to the Dharma Flower School, and in favouring this Dharma Flower School, established it for the first time [here in Japan]. | 乃有法華宗年分兩箇得度者。登天桓武聖皇帝歸法華宗。新所開建者也。 | 乃有法華宗，年分兩箇得度者，登天桓武聖皇帝，歸法華宗，新所開建者也。 |
| I humbly submit [the following praise, in regards to], His Majesty (Emperor Saga 嵯峨天皇), the preeminent sage of the Kōnin [era], the Lord of [both] Literary and Martial [Arts]: [Through His] virtue He unites heaven and earth; [In His] luminous-wisdom He rivals the sun and moon; [In His] literary prowess [He is] without-equal in antiquity; [In the] silver-hooks [of His elegant calligraphy, He is] without-match in the present; He brings joy to all the provinces; He has brought the two barbarians [of the Emishi in the north, and the Ryukyu Islanders in the south] into the fold; [And by Him both legal] rules and [moral] propriety are established and regulated. [And thus,] now is truly the appropriate time to [enact the former emperor’s wishes]! | 伏惟弘仁元聖文武皇帝陛下。徳合乾坤。明並日月。文藻絶古。銀鉤新今。萬國歡心。兩蕃歸化。定治制禮。今正是時。 | 伏惟: 弘仁元聖，文、武皇帝，陛下: 徳合乾、坤; 明並日、月; 文藻絶古; 銀鉤新今; 萬國歡心; 兩蕃歸化; 定治制禮。 今，正是時! |
| I sincerely pray [for the following]: that the home-leavers of [our] two courses forevermore turn away from the rules of the Hīnayāna, for they are both of the Mahāyāna capacity! [I furthermore pray,] that in accordance with the stipulations of the Dharma Flower Sūtra, that the rules of the Hīnayāna not be combined [with those of the Mahāyāna anymore]. [I pray that] every year during the third month [at the end of] spring, on the national day commemorating the Late Emperor [Kammu, we will be able to] initiate pure home-leavers [with the Ten Good Precepts] as Bodhisattva-śrāmaṇera (see Sange Gakusho Shiki). [And then once they have been] granted the Full Bodhisattva Precepts, that they will be regarded as Bodhisattva-monks. [Having received the Mahāyāna Precepts, I pray that] they will then be required to remain on the mountain studying and cultivating for a period of twelve years [in their respective course]. [And finally, that in accordance with their performance,] they will become the guardians and protectors of the nation, benefit and bless sentient beings, and act as the treasures of the nation, [or those teachers and functionaries] that benefit the nation. | 誠願。兩業出家。永迴小乘 儀。同爲大乘機。依法華經制。不交小律儀。毎年春三月先帝國忌日。於比叡山寺。與清淨出家。爲菩薩沙彌。授菩薩大戒。亦爲菩薩僧。即便令住山修學。一十二年。爲國家衞護。福利群生。國寶國利。 | 誠願: 兩業出家，永迴小乘 儀，同爲大乘機! 依法華經制，不交小律儀。 毎年春三月，先帝國忌日，於比叡山寺，與清淨出家，爲菩薩沙彌。 授菩薩大戒，亦爲菩薩僧。 即便令住山修、學，一十二年。 爲國家衞護，福、利，群生，國寶、國利。 |
| [If] the School’s Regulations can be fully followed as specified, with Your Majesty’s kind endorsement for His Late Majesty’s noble wishes, [then] year after year [the Buddha-Dharma] will flourish forever. And the Jewel that is the Mahāyāna Precepts, will be perpetually pure. This Kōnin [era] will be the beginning for the transmission of these Full Precepts [of the Mahāyāna], and the merit that will result from the transmission of these precepts, will preserve and keep Your Lordship. | 具如宗式等。天恩開許先帝高願。載載彌興。大乘戒珠。祀 祀清淨。弘仁爲源。傳此大戒。迴傳戒福。將護主上。 | 具如宗式等，天恩開許，先帝高願，載載彌興，大乘戒珠，祀祀清淨。弘仁爲源，傳此大戒，迴傳戒福，將護主上。 |
| With utmost sincerity and without pretense, I respectfully submit this petition, advising of what I have heard. In supplication I pray that: in your imperial mercy you might deign to condescend to our humble observations, and grant your approval to us, adding your efforts to our own. | 無任誠懇之至。謹奉表陳請以聞。伏願。仁慈賜垂矜允。輕塵聽覽。追増戰汗。 | 無任誠懇之至，謹奉表，陳請以聞。 伏願: 仁慈賜垂矜允，輕塵聽覽，追増戰汗。 |
| Respectfully related: On the fifteenth day of the third month of the tenth year of Kōnin (819 A.D.); Submitted by the śramaṇa Saichō. | 謹言。 弘仁十年三月十五日 (819 A.D.) 沙門最澄上表。 | 謹言: 弘仁十年三月十五日 (819 A.D.) 沙門最澄上表。 |
大師傳文
A [Separate Record of these events] in Great Master [Saichō’s] Biography:
| ENGLISH | UNPUNCTUATED TEXT | PUNCTUATED TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Tradition [of this event also has Saichō] stating: “Henceforth I will not accept the privileges of the Śrāvaka, for I forevermore reject the rules of the Hīnayāna.” “And I now vow that I have already abandoned the Two Hundred and Fifty Precepts [of the Dharmaguptaka- Vinaya].” | 別傳曰。自今以後。不受聲聞之利益。永乖小乘之威儀。即自誓願棄捨二百五十戒已。 | 別傳曰: 自今以後，不受聲聞之利益，永乖小乘之威儀。 即自誓願: 棄捨二百五十戒已。 |
| It further has him stating: “The two Great Masters Nanyue [Huisi] and Tiantai [Zhiyi], personally heard the Dharma Flower Sūtra in the past on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, and together received the Three Sets of Precepts of the Bodhisattva [there]. And this is what has been bestowed from teacher to teacher [subsequently].” “Zhizhe (i.e. Zhiyi) bestowed them on Guanding; Guanding bestowed them on Zhiwei; Zhiwei bestowed them on Huiwei; Huiwei bestowed them on Xuanlang; Xuanlang bestowed them on Zhanran; Zhanran bestowed them on Daosui; Daosui bestowed them on Saichō, and then on Gishin.” “I am always perusing and investigating the Orthodox Teachings, [and to be found] therein are ‘bodhisattva-monastics’, ‘bodhisattva-rules’, as well as ‘exclusively Mahāyāna [temples]’ and ‘exclusively Hīnayāna temples’!” | 又告言。南嶽天台兩大師。昔於靈山親開法華經。兼受菩薩三聚戒。所以師師相授。智者授灌頂。灌頂授智威。智威授慧威。慧威授玄朗。玄朗授湛然。湛然授道邃。道邃授最澄。次義眞也。我常披閲正教。既有菩薩僧菩薩威儀。亦有一向大一向小也。 | 又告言: 南嶽、天台，兩大師，昔於靈山，親開法華經，兼受菩薩三聚戒。所以師師相授。 智者授灌頂; 灌頂授智威; 智威授慧威; 慧威授玄朗; 玄朗授湛然; 湛然授道邃; 道邃授最澄，次義眞也。 我常披閲正教，既有菩薩僧、菩薩威儀、亦有一向大、一向小也! |
| “The students of Our School will now open up the Precepts (śīla), Meditative-concentrations (samādhi) and Wisdom (prajñā) of the Mahāyāna, and be forever separated from the inferior practices of the Hīnayāna.” “And this is why I have written [this] petition [for our] Regulations. I respectfully submit this petition, and request your assent.” | 今我宗學生。令開大乘戒定慧永離小乘下劣行仍作表式。謹奉進請允許。 | 今我宗學生，令開大乘戒、定、慧，永離小乘下劣行。 仍作表式。 謹奉進，請允許。 |
（右四章天台霞標所録）