佛言 有人患婬不止 自斷其根 佛謂之曰 若斷其根 不如斷心 心如功曹 功曹若止 從者都息 邪心不止 斷根何益
fó yán yǒu rén huàn yín bù zhǐ zì duàn qí gēn fó wèi zhī yuē ruò duàn qí gēn bù rú duàn xīn xīn rú gōng cáo gōng cáo ruò zhǐ cóng zhě dōu xī xié xīn bù zhǐ duàn gēn hé yì
Key Message
The source of the problem is not in the body but in the mind. No external restraint is useful unless the mind itself is transformed.
▸A man, unable to stop his lustful impulses, cut off his own organ.
A man, unable to stop his lustful impulses, cut off his own organ. The Buddha responded: cutting the organ is not as effective as cutting the mind. The mind is like the chief administrator (功曹); when the administrator stops, all subordinates cease their activity. If the perverted mind does not stop, what benefit is there in cutting the organ? The source of the problem lies not in the body but in the mind — this section states this principle with unmistakable directness.