Natural Offense and Precept Offense

Question: Breaking a precept presupposes that one has already received the precepts. If one has not received the precepts, is there still such a thing as breaking a precept?

Answer: "Breaking" means to destroy. If one has not received the precepts, there is no talk of breaking them, but those with heavy evil karma can still have obstructive barriers. If one violates a grave precept, one must sincerely and earnestly repent; one needs to see auspicious signs before the evil karma can be eliminated. It is necessary to receive the precepts anew. One can be reborn in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), as long as there is no obstructive barrier at the time of death. If at the final moment of death, when a single thought arises, the realm of evil karma appears in the mind, one will immediately undergo evil retribution in accordance with that evil karma. Before death, one must purify the thoughts in one's mind; only when no stray thoughts appear can one avoid falling into the three evil destinies.

Attaining the direction of the first fruit (srotāpanna-phala-pratipanna) and the first fruit can also extinguish sins. The fear is that karmic obstructions will block one from attaining the direction of the first fruit. For his disciples who had violated grave precepts and committed serious offenses, the Buddha taught ultimate reality and taught that the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) are illusory; those disciples not only extinguished their sins but also realized ultimate reality.

Before Bodhisattva Yongshi (Brave Giver) attained enlightenment, he had violated the precept against sexual misconduct and committed the offense of instigating murder. When the Buddha taught the Mahāyāna principle of non-arising, he became enlightened and realized ultimate reality. King Ajātaśatru killed his father; when the Buddha taught him that the five aggregates are illusory and unreal, King Ajātaśatru's extremely grave sins were extinguished, and he attained rootless faith, but he did not attain the direction of the first fruit, because his sin was too great. If the Buddha had not taught him the Dharma, he might not even have been able to attain rootless faith. However, if King Ajātaśatru had killed his mother, then his sins might not necessarily have been extinguished, and he would not have been able to attain rootless faith either.

After receiving the precepts, if one violates them, there is an intrinsic offense (natural sin), that is, an offense of the mind-nature, and there is also a precept offense, the offense of violating the precepts. For those who have not received the precepts, there is only the obstructive barrier of the intrinsic offense. But if one does not receive the precepts—by not receiving the precepts, the precepts are incomplete, one's cultivation of the Path cannot advance, and it obstructs the realization of the fruits and the seeing of the mind and the nature (seeing one's mind and attaining enlightenment).