Four-Part Bhikkhuni Pratimoksha (四分刪定比丘尼戒本)

Preface to the Revised Bhikshuni Pratimoksha

According to the records of the Venerable Master of Nanshan, both monks and nuns have their own versions of the Prātimokṣa rules. The monastic code for monks is still in circulation today, but the one for nuns has not yet been transmitted to this region. What is currently recited is a later compilation directly from the scriptures, prepared merely for temporary use. However, because the original translation was rough and difficult to recite and observe, many novices, after receiving ordination, never recite the rules again. Even among those who study and recite them, few complete the practice. Consequently, those who receive the precepts are as numerous as ox hairs, but those who uphold them are as rare as unicorn horns. Inwardly they carry the dharma essence, outwardly they wear the Buddha’s robes, yet they mix with worldly society, indulging in desires and committing evils, inviting criticism and disgracing our teachings. Such followers defile the stream of dharma, waste the faithful’s offerings, betray the original aspiration of leaving home, and turn their backs on the profound kindness of their parents. Once fallen into the three lower realms, they may drift for countless eons.

Now, meditative concentration and wisdom are based on precepts; enlightenment and nirvāṇa are rooted in precepts. The compassionate ones earnestly pray, deeply pitying those who are sinking. The Great Enlightened One, aware of the situation, strictly established these rules. Indeed, our beginningless karmic seeds are as numerous as dust and sand; adapting to circumstances, they manifest in countless forms—more than eighty-four thousand. In response to violations, he legislated rules, specifically outlining the 348 articles as a standard for teaching and a path for maintaining and breaking the precepts. If one does not recite them for five summers, one should rely on a teacher for life; if one does not hear them for half a month, one commits an offense. Therefore, I have based this on the monastic code for monks to revise and re-establish the text for nuns. Where both are identical, no changes are made; where one has something the other lacks, careful examination is necessary. This ensures the wording is smooth and the recitation easy, so that practitioners in the four districts of Ming, who delight in the precepts and have many virtuous individuals, can cooperate in raising funds for block printing and widespread distribution. My hope is to spread this across the land, greatly revitalizing the spirit of the vinaya, so that all may follow together and the Buddha’s dharma may long endure.

Listen carefully, you who come afterwards: The unsurpassed dharma king, the compassionate father of all virtues, has not abandoned you, ignorant and wretched beings. He has instructed you in detail, pointing out subtle faults and afflictions. He has, as it were, sunk into the sea of suffering himself, reaching out his hand to guide you in your confusion. Why, then, do you not reflect on yourselves, but instead lightly mock, hide in shame, pick and choose, cover your ears in fear, and refuse to listen? Do you not know that these sacred rules and punishments are all projections of your own deluded mind? Therefore, the *Śāriputra Sūtra* says: “These words of the precepts—those who hear them should not be startled or amazed. Instead, they should feel shame and modify themselves, thinking of the Buddha’s kindness. He, having already departed from attachment and attained purity, established these precepts for you and spoke of these evil deeds. If the Buddha had not spoken, how would you have known?” Please ponder this passage deeply; reproach yourselves earnestly. Whether reciting or listening, you should revere and observe them.

This was written by the Shaolin monk Yuan Zhao of Yuhang on the ancestral memorial day during the Yuanfu era (year 1099 CE).