稽首禮諸佛， 及法比丘僧；
今演毘尼法， 令正法久住。
優波離為首， 及餘身證者；
今說戒要義， 諸賢咸共聽。
今欲說深戒， 為樂持戒者；
為能諷誦者， 利益諸長老。
今說十句義， 諸佛之戒法：
令僧喜永安， 攝取於僧故；
不信者令信， 已信者增長；
斷不持戒者， 令邪道入正；
慚愧者安隱， 佛法得久住。
是以世最勝， 演布禁戒經。
眾山須彌最， 眾流海為最；
眾經億百千， 戒為第一最。
欲求第一最， 今世及後世；
當持此禁戒， 終身莫毀犯。
除結無罣礙， 縛著由此解；
以戒自觀察， 如鏡照面像。
夫欲造善法， 備具三種業；
當審觀其意， 如《羅云經》說。
所以立王者， 由世諍訟故；
眾人之所舉， 古昔之常法。
犯罪者知法， 順法者成就；
戒律亦如是， 如王治正法。
如醫觀眾病， 進止得其所；
可治則進藥， 不可者則捨。
如醫經所說， 四事不可治；
可救有十三， 餘者不須救。
譬如有死屍， 大海不容受；
為疾風所飄， 棄之於岸上。
諸作惡行者， 猶如彼死屍；
眾所不容受， 以是當持戒。
如守門牢固， 不憂失財物；
若垣牆缺壞， 有財者憂懼。
佛戒不缺漏， 奉持者無憂；
禁戒不牢固， 毀犯者懷憂。
坏器多穿漏， 瓦師懷愁憂；
器物若完具， 眷屬皆歡喜。
持戒有缺漏， 為惡者常憂；
不毀禁戒者， 心常懷歡喜。
如熛火雖微， 莫輕以為小；
所經諸草木， 燒盡無有餘。
所造惡雖微， 慎莫謂為輕；
如破伊羅葉， 常在於龍中。
如師子虎吼， 醉者不恐怖；
小獸聲雖微， 醒者聞則懼。
如是三垢人， 一切惡不懼；
智者於微惡， 常懷於恐畏。
如合和眾藥， 擇去不良者；
病者服除愈， 身康得安樂。
如是念修戒， 能避諸惡行；
除諸結使患， 安隱入涅槃。
若欲涉遠路， 當自護其足；
足若毀壞者， 不能涉遠道。
求天若涅槃， 方便守護戒；
如是無毀壞， 必能度險道。
如人欲渡河， 用手及浮囊；
雖深無沒憂， 便能到彼岸。
如是諸佛子， 修行禁戒本；
終不迴邪流， 沒溺生死海。
譬如帝釋堂， 彫飾眾寶成；
七寶為階陛， 天人之所行。
如是正法堂， 七覺意莊嚴；
禁戒為階陛， 賢聖之所行。
如善學世間， 一切眾技藝；
為王所愛念， 以是得安樂。
佛所說禁戒， 能善修學者；
終不墮惡趣， 永得安隱處。
如先自牢眾， 然後破彼軍；
賢聖眾牢固， 然後破魔軍。
聖眾若和合， 世尊所稱譽；
以眾和合故， 佛法得久住。
如乳母慈愛， 養護於其子；
一切水火難， 護使不傷害。
禁戒猶慈母， 守護於行者；
終不墮畜生， 餓鬼地獄中。
如有勇猛將， 善習戰鬪法；
降伏於彼敵， 沒死不顧命。
佛子亦如是， 善學於禁戒；
五陰散壞時， 終不畏命盡。
從佛戒所生， 爾乃是真生；
猶如鴦崛魔， 如來所記別。
若有捨戒者， 於佛法為死；
持戒如護命， 守之無毀失。
譬如得王印， 所往無罣礙；
毀缺則難詰， 全失則被縛。
戒印全具者， 所至無罣礙；
小毀則不定， 大毀入三惡。
為一切人故， 降伏諸魔鬼；
神仙五通人， 造設於呪術，
為彼慚愧者， 攝諸不慚愧。
如來立禁戒， 半月半月說。
已說戒利益， 稽首禮諸佛。
I bow to all Buddhas, To the Dharma and the Sangha. Now I reveal the rules of conduct, So the true Dharma may long endure.
With Upali foremost, And other realized ones, Now I speak the essence of the precepts— May the virtuous all listen well.
Now I shall speak of profound precepts, For those who delight in keeping them, For those who can recite them, For the benefit of all elders.
Now I speak of ten meanings, The Buddha's own code of conduct: To bring joy and peace to the Sangha, To gather and unite the community, To inspire faith in the faithless, To deepen faith in the faithful, To stop those who break the precepts, To guide the lost onto the right path, To give peace to the conscientious, And to ensure the Dharma long endures.
Thus the World's Supreme One Proclaimed this code of restraint. Among mountains, Mount Meru is highest; Among streams, the ocean is greatest. Among millions and billions of scriptures, The precepts are the foremost.
If you seek the highest good, In this life and the next, Hold fast to these precepts, And never break them, all your life.
They remove your knots and obstacles, They untie your bonds and attachments. Use the precepts as your mirror, Like a clear reflection of your face.
If you wish to create good karma, You must master three kinds of action. Examine your intentions carefully, As the *Rāhula Sūtra* teaches.
Just as kings are established Due to worldly disputes, Elected by the people— This has always been the way.
The guilty know the law; Those who follow it thrive. The precepts work the same way, Like a king upholding justice.
Like a doctor examining patients, Knowing what to allow or avoid; Those who can be cured get medicine, Those who cannot are let go.
As medical texts declare, Four conditions are incurable; Thirteen can still be saved; The rest need no further aid.
Like a corpse that the great ocean Cannot contain nor hold, It is tossed by the wind And cast upon the shore.
Those who do evil deeds Are like that very corpse— Nobody can accept them. Therefore, keep the precepts.
If the gatekeeper is vigilant, You won't lose your valuables. If the wall is full of holes, The rich will live in fear.
The Buddha's precepts are flawless; Those who keep them have no worry. If the precepts are weak, Those who break them live in dread.
A cracked pot leaks everywhere, And the potter is filled with grief. But if the vessel is whole, The household rejoices.
When precepts are broken, Evildoers are always anxious. When precepts are kept, The heart is filled with joy.
Though a spark is tiny, Never think it insignificant— It can burn entire forests Until nothing remains.
Though a bad deed seems small, Never consider it trivial— Like breaking the Erāḷa leaf, One may be reborn as a dragon.
A lion's roar or a tiger's growl Does not frighten a drunkard. But the faint cry of a small beast Terrifies one who is sober.
So it is with the three defilements— The wicked fear nothing at all. But a wise person stands in awe Of even the tiniest evil.
Like mixing various medicines, And discarding what is bad— The sick take it and recover, Their bodies are healthy and at ease.
So too, by mindful observance of precepts, You avoid all evil actions. Remove the plague of your attachments And find peace, entering Nirvana.
If you wish to journey far, Protect your feet well. If your feet are injured, You cannot travel far.
If you seek heaven or Nirvana, Guard your precepts diligently. When they remain unbroken, You will cross all dangerous paths.
Like one who wants to cross a river, Using hands or a lifebuoy— Though the water is deep, They have no fear of drowning, And safely reach the other shore.
So too, disciples of the Buddha, Practicing the root of precepts, Will never be swept away And drown in the ocean of birth and death.
Like the hall of Indra, Adorned with precious gems, With stairs of seven treasures Where gods and humans walk—
So too, the hall of the true Dharma Is adorned with the seven factors of awakening, With precepts as its staircase, Where noble ones walk.
Just as one who wisely studies All the crafts and skills of the world Is treasured by the king, And thus lives in comfort—
So too, those who skillfully practice The precepts taught by the Buddha Will never fall into lower realms, And find eternal peace.
Just as you first stabilize your own troops, Then break the enemy's army, So the noble Sangha, stable, Then breaks the army of Mara.
When the noble Sangha is harmonious, The World-Honored One praises it. Because the community is united, The Dharma can endure for long.
Like a loving nurse Who cares for an infant— Protecting it from all dangers Of water, fire, and harm—
The precepts are like a kind mother, Guarding the spiritual practitioner, So they never fall into animal birth, The realm of hungry ghosts, or hell.
Like a brave general Who has mastered combat, Who conquers the enemy Even at the cost of his life—
So too, the Buddha's disciples, Well-practiced in the precepts, When the five aggregates dissolve, Have no fear of death.
Born through the Buddha's precepts, This is true birth— Like Aṅgulimāla, Whom the Tathāgata declared.
One who abandons the precepts Is dead to the Buddha's Dharma. So guard the precepts like life itself, Preserving them without break.
Like one who receives a royal seal— They travel everywhere without obstruction. If the seal is damaged, they are questioned; If completely lost, they are bound.
With a perfect seal of precepts, Wherever you go, you have no obstacles. A minor break brings uncertainty; A major break sends you to the three lower realms.
For the sake of all people, The subduing of demons and spirits, Even sages with five miraculous powers Devise protective spells and charms— To protect the conscientious, And restrain the shameless.
Thus the Tathāgata established precepts, To be recited twice each month.
Having spoken of the benefits of precepts, I bow to all Buddhas.
(此偈非是迦葉千眾集律時人所造，乃是後五部分張各據所傳。即是居一眾之首者，將欲為眾辨釋律相故，先偈讚然後說之)
(This verse was not composed during the time when Mahakasyapa gathered the thousand monks to compile the Vinaya. Rather, it was created later, when the five divisions split apart and each group held onto its own transmitted teachings. It is a verse spoken by the leader of a monastic community, who, before explaining the details of the Vinaya rules to the assembly, first offers this praise.)