△五曰不飲酒
Fifth: Do Not Drink Alcohol
亂心惛智曰酒。
Wine confuses the mind and dulls the wisdom.
解曰。飲酒者。謂飲一切能醉人之酒。西域酒有多種。甘蔗蒲萄。及與百花。皆可造酒。此方止有米造。俱不可飲。
Explanation: "Drinking alcohol" refers to consuming any beverage that can intoxicate a person. In the Western Regions, there are many types of alcohol—made from sugarcane, grapes, or various flowers—all of which can be used to brew intoxicating drinks. In our region, only rice is used for brewing. None of these should be consumed.
西域。即天竺。此方。即東華。酒雖多種。不出其二。一者穀酒。謂以五穀和麴而釀成之。二者木酒。謂用根莖花果。雜諸藥草。而醞成之。即甘蔗蒲萄百花藕根糖蜜等是也。此二種酒。皆不得咽。故云俱不可飲。凡有酒色。酒香。酒味。三者。或缼一。缼二。能令人醉。飲即得罪。若啗糟。食。和酒煑食。盡犯。若無酒色香味。不醉人。不犯。
The Western Regions refer to India. This land refers to Eastern China. Though there are many kinds of alcohol, they do not go beyond two categories. The first is grain alcohol, which is brewed from the five grains mixed with yeast. The second is plant alcohol, which is fermented from roots, stems, flowers, fruits, and various medicinal herbs. Examples include sugarcane, grapes, various flower blossoms, lotus roots, sugar, honey, and so on. Both of these types of alcohol must not be consumed. Therefore, it is said that all are prohibited from drinking. Generally, if a substance possesses the color, aroma, or taste of alcohol—whether lacking one, two, or all three—and can cause intoxication, then drinking it constitutes an offense. If one eats the dregs, consumes food cooked with alcohol, or uses alcohol in cooking, all are violations. If it lacks the color, aroma, and taste of alcohol and does not cause intoxication, then it is not an offense.
除有重病。非酒莫療者。白眾方服。無故一滴不可沾唇。
Except for those with serious illnesses for which only alcohol can provide relief, one must inform the assembly before drinking. Without a valid reason, not even a single drop should touch the lips.
佛言。若依我為師者。不得飲酒。亦不與他飲。不貯畜。乃至不以草頭著酒。滴入口中。言有重病者。謂非輕小疾也。非酒莫療者。謂餘藥治不瘥。醫教以酒為藥。非酒不能瘳。即須白眾令知。然後服之。始無自私之咎也。無故者。無病之故也。必有重病。痼疾。乃暫權開聽。非謂長途服食。若無病托病。輕病托重。俱犯。
The Buddha said: "If you take me as your teacher, you must not drink alcohol, nor offer it to others, nor store it. You should not even let a drop of alcohol touch your lips, even if it clings to a blade of grass.
Regarding those with serious illness: this refers to grave ailments, not minor ones. When it is said that nothing but alcohol can cure it, this means all other medicines have failed, and a physician prescribes alcohol as the only remedy—without it, the illness cannot be healed. In such a case, you must inform the community so that everyone knows, and only then may you take it. This way, you avoid the fault of acting in secret.
'Without cause' means without illness. Only in cases of severe or chronic disease may this prohibition be temporarily lifted—it is not meant for long-term or habitual use. If someone feigns illness when they are well, or exaggerates a minor ailment as serious, they commit an offense."
乃至不得齅酒。不得止酒舍。不得以酒飲人。
You must not even smell alcohol. You must not stop at a tavern. You must not give alcohol to others.
齅謂鼻齅。不得止酒舍者。止謂暫時停止。舍謂沽酒市肆。為防二事。故不聽止。一防譏疑。二避沉酗。不以酒飲人者。自既知非。豈可施人。菩薩為利生故。自飲猶輕。與他飲犯重。用迷惑眾生。失智慧種故也。
Smelling refers to smelling with the nose. "Do not stop at wine shops" means: "stop" refers to temporarily halting, and "shop" refers to establishments that sell wine. To prevent two things, one is not permitted to stop there: first, to prevent suspicion and criticism; second, to avoid indulgence and drunkenness. "Do not give wine to others" means: since one knows it is wrong, how can one impose it on others? For a Bodhisattva, who acts for the benefit of sentient beings, drinking oneself is a lesser offense, but giving it to others is a grave transgression, as it confuses sentient beings and causes them to lose the seed of wisdom.
儀狄造酒。禹因痛絕。
Yi Di created wine, and Yu the Great therefore strictly forbade it.
儀狄。夏人也。善造酒醪。禹。即夏帝也。戰國策云。儀狄作酒。禹飲而甘之曰。後世必有以酒亡其國者。遂疏儀狄。因而深痛絕旨酒也。昔漢邴原。絕酒不飲。人或問之。原曰。本自能飲。但以荒思廢業。故斷之耳。世儒尚畏廢業。況學出世之道乎。
Yi Di was a man of the Xia dynasty, skilled in brewing fine liquor. Yu, also known as Emperor Yu of Xia, tasted the wine Yi Di made and found it sweet. He said, "In later generations, there will surely be those who lose their kingdoms because of wine." He then distanced himself from Yi Di and deeply resolved to abstain from fine wine.
In the past, during the Han dynasty, Bing Yuan abstained from drinking wine. When someone asked him why, he replied, "I was originally able to drink, but I feared it would cloud my thoughts and waste my time, so I gave it up." Even worldly scholars feared wasting their time and efforts—how much more should those who study the path beyond this world?
紂作酒池。國以滅亡。僧而飲酒。可恥尤甚。
King Zhou built a lake of wine, and his kingdom perished. For a monk to drink wine is an even greater disgrace.
紂。乃帝乙季子。名受。又名辛。祖都於殷。諡法。殘義害善曰紂。始作玉盞象箸。造鹿臺。為瓊室。玉門大三里。高千尺。以人食獸。以酒為池。懸肉為林。男女裸形。相逐其間。宮中九市。為長夜之飲。作炮烙之刑。剖孕婦。斫人脛。王子比干諫之。怒曰。吾聞聖人。心有七竅。遂殺比干視其心。於是武王告諸侯曰。殷有重罪。不可不伐。乃東伐紂。紂走登鹿臺。衣其珠玉。自燔而死。禹謂後世必有以酒亡國者此也。所以詩書婬亂之戒。其原皆在於酒。故微子以紂沉酗於酒。遂作誥以告箕子比干而去。穆公因周厲王沉湎於酒。故作大雅嗟嘆而泣涕流連。後秦主符生。飲無晝夜。乘醉多所殺戮。臣民畏之。海東王符堅。將兵伐。生猶醉寐。兵殺之。堅遂稱帝。唐敬宗年十八。夜與宦官酣飲擊毬。俄燭滅。遇弒。是以前危後則。皆由酒色。先聖後賢。咸因旨絕以成名。出家為僧。心形越俗。不愧先聖。而踵前危。故曰可恥尤甚。
King Zhou of Shang. He was the youngest son of Emperor Yi, named Shou, also known as Xin. His ancestors established their capital at Yin. According to posthumous naming conventions, "Zhou" means "one who harms righteousness and destroys goodness." He began by crafting jade cups and ivory chopsticks, built the Deer Terrace, and created a magnificent palace with jade gates spanning three miles and reaching a thousand feet high. He fed humans to beasts, turned wine into ponds, hung meat to form forests, and had men and women run naked among them. Within the palace, there were nine markets, and he indulged in endless nights of drinking. He instituted the punishment of roasting over a bronze pillar, dissected pregnant women, and chopped off people's shins. Prince Bi Gan remonstrated with him. Enraged, Zhou said, "I have heard that a sage's heart has seven apertures." He then killed Bi Gan to examine his heart. At this, King Wu of Zhou declared to the feudal lords, "The Shang dynasty has committed grave crimes and must be punished." He marched east to attack Zhou. Zhou fled and climbed the Deer Terrace, adorned himself with pearls and jade, and set himself on fire, dying in the flames. Yu the Great said that in later ages, there would surely be those who lose their kingdoms because of wine. Thus, the warnings against debauchery and chaos in the *Book of Songs* and *Book of Documents* all trace their origins to wine. Therefore, Prince Wei, seeing Zhou sunk in drunkenness, composed a proclamation to admonish Jizi and Bi Gan before leaving. Duke Mu, witnessing King Li of Zhou's indulgence in wine, lamented in the *Greater Odes* with tears streaming down. Later, Fu Sheng, ruler of Qin, drank day and night, and while intoxicated, committed many killings, so that his ministers and people feared him. Fu Jian, Prince of Haidong, led troops to attack. Fu Sheng was still drunk and asleep when the soldiers killed him. Fu Jian then proclaimed himself emperor. Emperor Jingzong of Tang, at eighteen, spent nights drinking heavily with eunuchs and playing polo. Suddenly, the candles went out, and he was assassinated. Thus, the dangers that come before and the calamities that follow are all due to wine and lust. The sages of old and the worthies of later times all achieved renown by abstaining from these indulgences. To leave home and become a monk, to transcend worldly desires in heart and form—this is to live up to the legacy of the ancient sages. Yet to follow the path of those who fell into peril is truly the most shameful.
昔有優婆塞。因破酒戒。遂併餘戒俱破。三十六失。一飲備焉。過非小矣。
Once there was a lay disciple who, by breaking the precept against drinking alcohol, ended up breaking all the other precepts as well. Thirty-six faults are all contained in this one act of drinking. The transgression is not small.
優婆塞。此云近事男。婆沙論云。昔有一近事。稟性仁賢。受持五戒。專精不犯。後於異時。遠行歸家。家人赴會。彼為渴所逼。見器有酒如水。遂取飲之。便犯酒戒。時有隣雞來入其舍。盜殺而食。復犯盜殺二戒。鄰女尋雞入舍。強逼交通。復犯婬戒。隣家告官。拒諱不陳。復犯妄語。故云遂併餘戒俱破。三十六失者。善惡所起經云。一資財散失。二現多疾病。三因與鬬諍。四增長殺害。五增長瞋恚。六多不遂意。七智慧漸寡。八福德不增。九福德轉減。十顯露秘密。十一事業不成。十二多增憂苦。十三諸根闇昧。十四毀辱父母。十五不敬沙門。十六不信婆羅門。十七不敬佛。十八不敬法僧。十九親惡友。二十離善友。二十一棄飲食。二十二形不隱密。二十三婬欲熾盛。二十四眾人不悅。二十五多增語笑。二十六父母不喜。二十七眷屬嫌棄。二十八受持非法。二十九遠離正法。三十不敬賢善。三十一違犯過失。三十二遠離涅槃。三十三顛狂轉增。三十四身心散亂。三十五作惡放逸。三十六身壞命終墮大地獄。受苦無窮。此三十六失。因破酒戒而具。故云一飲備焉。失乃三十有六。故云過非小矣。
Upāsaka. This is translated as "lay male devotee." The Abhidharma Commentary states: There was once a lay devotee who was by nature kind and virtuous. He upheld the five precepts, diligently observing them without transgression. Later, at another time, he returned home from a long journey. His family had gone out to an event. Overcome by thirst, he saw a vessel containing liquor that looked like water, so he took it and drank. Thus, he violated the precept against intoxicants. At that moment, a neighbor's chicken wandered into his house. He secretly killed and ate it, thereby violating the precepts against stealing and killing. A neighbor's woman came searching for the chicken into his house, and he forced himself upon her, thus violating the precept against sexual misconduct. The neighbor's family reported him to the authorities, and he denied the accusations, refusing to confess, thereby violating the precept against false speech. Hence it is said that he consequently broke all the other precepts as well.
The thirty-six losses, as described in the Sutra on the Arising of Good and Evil, are: 1. Loss of wealth and resources. 2. Frequent illness in the present life. 3. Involvement in conflicts and disputes. 4. Increase in killing. 5. Increase in anger and hatred. 6. Many unfulfilled desires. 7. Gradual decline in wisdom. 8. Failure to increase merit. 9. Merit actually decreases. 10. Exposure of secrets. 11. Failure in undertakings. 12. Increase in sorrow and suffering. 13. Dullness of the senses. 14. Dishonoring one's parents. 15. Disrespect toward monastic practitioners. 16. Lack of faith in Brahmins. 17. Disrespect toward the Buddha. 18. Disrespect toward the Dharma and the Sangha. 19. Association with bad friends. 20. Separation from good friends. 21. Neglect of food and drink. 22. Lack of physical discretion. 23. Intense sexual desire. 24. Displeasure of the multitude. 25. Excessive frivolity and laughter. 26. Displeasure of parents. 27. Rejection by family and relatives. 28. Upholding wrongful practices. 29. Distancing from the true Dharma. 30. Disrespect toward the virtuous and good. 31. Transgression of faults. 32. Distancing from Nirvana. 33. Increase in madness and delusion. 34. Scattered and confused mind and body. 35. Engaging in evil and heedlessness. 36. At the end of life, falling into the great hells, suffering endlessly.
These thirty-six losses arise from breaking the precept against intoxicants. Therefore, it is said that a single drink encompasses them all. The losses amount to thirty-six, hence it is said that the fault is not small.
貪飲之人。死墮沸屎地獄。生生愚癡。失智慧種。
Those who are greedy for drink will, upon death, fall into the hell of boiling filth. Life after life, they will be born foolish and dull, losing the seed of wisdom.
輪轉五道經云。為人喜飲酒醉。死入沸屎泥犁中。後墮猩猩獸中。後生為人愚癡。故無所知。教化地獄經云。信相菩薩白佛言。復有眾生。或顛或狂。或癡或騃。不別好醜。何罪所致。佛言。以前世時。坐飲酒醉亂。犯三十六失。復得癡身。如似醉人。不識尊卑。不識好醜。故獲此罪。然善惡無爽。有因必果。貪飲故墮沸屎。醉亂故失智慧。叢說云。毒智莫甚於酒是也。
The Scripture on Revolving Through the Five Paths states: Those who delight in drinking and become intoxicated in human life will, after death, fall into the boiling excrement hell. Later, they will be reborn as beasts, such as orangutans, and then as humans who are foolish and ignorant, lacking all understanding.
The Scripture on Teaching in the Hells states: The Bodhisattva Xinxiang asked the Buddha, "There are beings who are either insane, mad, foolish, or dull-witted, unable to distinguish good from bad. What offense led to this?" The Buddha replied, "In a past life, they became intoxicated from drinking, lost their senses, and committed thirty-six kinds of transgressions. As a result, they obtained a foolish body, like a drunkard who cannot recognize respect or disrespect, good or bad. Thus, they incur this retribution. Good and evil never fail to bear fruit—cause inevitably leads to effect. Greed for drink causes one to fall into the boiling excrement hell; intoxication and confusion cause the loss of wisdom."
As the Collected Sayings states: "No poison is more harmful to wisdom than alcohol."
迷魂狂藥。烈於砒酖。
Intoxicating drugs are more lethal than poison.
以酒能使人顛倒錯亂。外失威儀。內喪真性。故云迷魂狂藥。砒是砒霜。酖是酖毒藥酒也。謂以鴆鳥之毛。瀝於酒中。飲令人立死。故字從酉。烈謂酒之酷烈。尤甚於砒酖。砒酖雖能殺身。而不能使人破戒。喪失慧命。墮三惡道也。
Wine can cause people to become confused and disordered. Outwardly, it leads to a loss of dignity and composure; inwardly, it causes the true nature to be abandoned. That is why it is called the "deluding soul's maddening drug." "砒" refers to arsenic, and "酖" refers to poisoned wine. It is said that when the feathers of the poisonous bird are steeped in wine, drinking it causes immediate death—hence the character for "wine" (酉) in its composition. "烈" refers to the intense potency of wine, which is even more severe than arsenic or poisoned wine. Though arsenic and poisoned wine can kill the body, they cannot make a person break their precepts, lose their wisdom-life, or fall into the three evil realms.
故經云。寧飲烊銅。慎無犯酒。
Therefore, the scripture says: It is better to drink molten copper than to recklessly indulge in alcohol.
烊銅喪身。酒歿慧命。故寧喪身。以存慧命。如薩遮尼乾子經偈云。酒為放逸根。不飲閉惡道。寧捨百千身。不毀犯教法。寧使身乾枯。終不飲此酒。假使毀戒罪。壽命滿百年。不如護禁戒。即時身磨滅。經云有犯斯戒。非沙彌也。
Molten copper may destroy the body, but wine destroys the wisdom-life. Therefore, it is better to lose the body than to lose the wisdom-life. As the *Sutra of the Ascetic Saccaka* states in verse:
Wine is the root of heedlessness; By not drinking it, one closes the door to evil paths. Better to sacrifice a hundred thousand bodies Than to violate the teachings of the Dharma. Better to let the body wither away Than ever to drink this wine. Even if breaking the precepts brought a life Of a hundred years, It is not as good as upholding the prohibitions Even if it meant immediate death.
The sutra says: "Whoever violates this precept is no śrāmaṇera."
噫。可不戒歟。
Alas. How can one not be cautious?
或問曰。肉由害命。斷之宜然。酒不損生。何為頓制。若使無損。理本無過。答曰。如來結戒。以絕惡源。得罪據心成業。肉乃因害。食之即罪。酒雖非損。過由亂神。餘處生過。過生由酒。斷酒則諸過頓除。況種愚癡之業。不免三惡道報。言餘處生罪者。由酒遂破餘戒。并得三十六失是也。
Someone asked: "Meat involves taking life, so abstaining from it is proper. But alcohol does not harm life—why is it strictly prohibited? If it causes no harm, there should be no fault in principle."
The answer: "The Tathagata established precepts to cut off the source of evil. Offenses are formed in the mind and become karma. Meat comes from killing, so eating it is an offense. Although alcohol does not directly harm life, its fault lies in clouding the mind. It gives rise to faults elsewhere—these faults arise because of alcohol. By abstaining from alcohol, many faults are immediately eliminated. Moreover, it plants the seeds of foolish karma, which inevitably lead to retribution in the three lower realms. When we say 'it gives rise to faults elsewhere,' we mean that because of alcohol, other precepts are broken—this includes the thirty-six kinds of loss."