The Offense of Sexual Intercourse During the Eight Precepts of Fasting

Original text of the Sūtra on the Precepts for Upāsakas, Section Three: 若优婆塞自受八支。行淫者犯不可悔。八支无复邪正。一切皆犯。若优婆塞虽都不受戒。犯佛弟子净戒人者。虽无犯戒之罪。然后永不得受五戒。乃至出家受具足。

Explanation: If an upāsaka takes the eight precepts by himself before the Buddha and engages in sexual conduct during that period, regardless of who the other person is—even his own wife—he commits an irredeemable offense. During the eight precepts, no sexual conduct of any kind is allowed; whether it is proper marital relations with one's wife or illicit relations with others, any sexual conduct constitutes an irredeemable offense. Although an upāsaka may not have taken any precepts, if he violates a person who holds pure precepts, although he bears no offense of breaking precepts, he will forever afterward be unable to take the five precepts, and likewise unable to go forth and receive the full ordination.

 Original text: 佛告诸比丘。吾有二身。生身戒身。若善男子为吾生身。起七宝塔。至于梵天。若人亏之。其罪尚有可悔。亏吾戒身。其罪无量。受罪如伊罗龙王。

Explanation: The Buddha told the bhikṣus, "I have two bodies: the body of birth and the body of precepts. If a good man builds a seven-jeweled stūpa for my body of birth, reaching as high as the Brahmā heaven, and someone damages it, that offense can still be repented and eradicated. But if someone damages my body of precepts, the offense is immeasurable, and he will suffer retribution like the Elapattra Dragon King."

What does it mean to damage the Buddha's body of precepts? It means to violate the precepts established by the Buddha, to break the Buddha's precepts, to damage the Tathāgata and fail the Tathāgata. Such an offense is immeasurable and boundless, like the retribution suffered by the Elapattra Dragon King. The Elapattra Dragon King has seven heads, and on each head grows an Elapattra tree. Why does an Elapattra tree grow there? In a past life, when the Elapattra Dragon King was a bhikṣu, out of anger he deliberately damaged the leaves of an Elapattra tree. For many kalpas he fell into the body of a dragon, and a tree grew from his head, causing him to endure the agony of pus and blood flowing and maggots gnawing. Fortunately, he heard the Buddha's teaching and came to understand cause and effect, patiently accepting it and repenting; but this karmic retribution will not end until Maitreya Buddha appears in the world. Therefore, after studying Buddhism, one should no longer follow along with afflictions; following along with afflictions is damaging the Tathāgata's body of precepts, an offense that is immeasurable and boundless.