若佛子 自慳 教人慳 慳因 慳緣 慳法 慳業 而菩薩見一切貧窮人來乞者 隨前人所須 一切給與 而菩薩以惡心瞋心 乃至不施一錢一針一草 有求法者 不爲說一句一偈 一字之法 而反更罵辱者 是菩薩波羅夷罪
ruò fó zǐ zì qiān jiào rén qiān qiān yīn qiān yuán qiān fǎ qiān yè ér púsà jiàn yī qiē pín qióng rén lái qǐ zhě suí qián rén suǒ xū yī qiē jǐ yǔ ér púsà yǐ è xīn chēn xīn nǎi zhì bù shī yī qián yī zhēn yī cǎo yǒu qiú fǎ zhě bù wèi shuō yī jù yī jì yī zì zhī fǎ ér fǎn gēng mà rǔ zhě shì púsà bō luó yí zuì
Key Message
A bodhisattva's hands are open. Whether giving material goods or teachings, withhold nothing from those in need — this is the bodhisattva's life.
▸The Precept Against Stinginess (不慳戒) is the eighth major precept, forbidding all forms of miserliness.
The Precept Against Stinginess (不慳戒) is the eighth major precept, forbidding all forms of miserliness. It encompasses being miserly oneself as well as inducing others to be miserly. When a poor person comes and begs, a bodhisattva must give that person everything they need. It is a transgression to refuse to give so much as a single coin, needle, or blade of grass out of a malicious or wrathful mind. The precept encompasses not only material giving (財施) but also the giving of the Dharma (法施): refusing to teach even a single phrase, verse, or character of the Dharma to one who seeks it, and instead abusing that person, constitutes a pārājika offense. This precept is directly connected to the Perfection of Giving (布施波羅蜜).