Is it against any Precept (戒) to not teach those who break any Precept to repent? Yes, if one is a Bodhisattva Preceptor (菩萨戒子). According to the Fifth Light Precept Against Not Teaching To Repent For Transgressions (第五不教悔罪戒) in the Brahma Net Sūtra’s Bodhisattva Precepts’ Text《梵网经菩萨戒本》, which teaches:
「若佛子！见一切众生犯 [2] 八戒、[1] 五戒、[3] 十戒，[4] 毁禁、[5] 七逆、[6] 八难、一切犯戒罪，应教忏悔。而菩萨不教忏悔，同住、同僧利养，而共 [7] 布萨，同一众住说戒，而不举其罪，不教悔过者，犯轻垢罪。」
‘If the Buddha’s [Bodhisattva] disciples, see all sentient beings violating the [2] Eight Precepts, [1] Five Precepts, [3] Ten Precepts and [4] Prohibitions, with the [5] Seven Heinous Transgressions and [6] Eight Difficulties, of all who violate the Precepts with transgressions, they should be instructed to have repentance. Yet, if Bodhisattvas do not instruct repentance, together living, together with monastics’ gains, and together practising [7] Upoṣatha, together in the same one assembly living and speaking its Precepts, yet not raising these transgressions, those not instructing them to repent for their faults, commit a light defiled transgression.’
Principles: (i) Bodhisattva disciples wish all sentient beings, to uphold the pure Precepts, to earlier accomplish the Buddha path. (ii) If seeing sentient beings violate the Precepts to create transgressions, (or suffering from their repercussions), they should be instructed to have repentance, to again uphold the pure Precepts. (iii) Not instructing them to repent for their faults, and not raising these transgressions, they will become those with less loving-kindness and compassion, who commit a light defiled transgression. (Those who violate this very Precept this way, if still not repentant, should be encouraged to repent too.)
Practices: (i) If seeing others break Precepts and/or with difficulties, teach them to repent, as they arise from evil karmas created by breaking of Precepts. (ii) Do not not teach repentance, and live with unrepentant Precept-breakers with the same (monastic) benefits. (To do so is to live with and off ill-gotten gains of the evil, while not being good fellow Bodhisattva Preceptors who help to address and overcome one another’s moral mistakes.) (iii) During Upoṣatha, if they are still unrepentant, raise their transgressions and teach them to repent.
Note [1]: Five Precepts (五戒): (i) not killing lives (不杀生), (ii) not stealing (不偷盗), (iii) not having sexual misconduct (不邪淫), (iv) not having false speech (不妄语), (v) not drinking alcohol (i.e. not consuming intoxicants) (不饮酒)
Note [2]: Eight Precepts (八戒), which are upheld on Six Purification Days (六斋日) and in Three Purification Months (三斋月): (i) not killing lives (不杀生), (ii) not stealing (不偷盗), (iii) not having sexual conduct (不淫), (iv) not having false speech (不妄语), (v) not drinking alcohol (i.e. consuming intoxicants) (不饮酒), (vi) not wearing perfumes, flowers and garlands, applying fragrant oils on the body (不着香花鬘，不香油涂身), (vii) not sitting and lying on high, broad and big (seats and) beds (不坐卧高广大床), singing, dancing, having entertainment, going to see or hear such (不歌舞倡伎，不往观听), (viii) no untimely eating (不非时食) after noon.
Note [3]: Ten Precepts (十戒): The Ten Heavy Precepts (十重戒) in this sūtra: https://purelanders.com/pusa
Note [4]: Prohibitions (毁禁): Generally, all precepts, as taught by the Buddhas.
Note [5]: Seven Heinous Transgressions (七逆罪): (i) causing Buddha’s body to bleed (出佛身血), (ii) killing of father (杀父), (iii) killing of mother (杀母), (iv) killing of senior (venerable) monastic (杀和尚), (v) killing of Ācārya (杀阿阇梨), (vi) breaking up the Karma and Dharma wheel-turning Saṃgha (破羯磨转法轮僧) (Karma monastics [羯磨僧] are those in charge of Repentance and Precepts’ matters), (vii) killing of noble persons (杀圣人).
Note [6]: Eight Difficulties (八难): Difficulties from not seeing a Buddha (见佛) to hear the Right Dharma (正法), that arise from breaking Precepts (破解): (i) difficulty of being in the hell path (在地狱难), (ii) difficulty of being in the hungry ghost path (在饿鬼难), (iii) difficulty of being in the animal path (在畜生难), (iv) difficulty of being in a long-life heaven (在长寿天难), (v) difficulty of being in border land’s Uttarakuru (在边地之郁单越难), (vi) difficulty of being blind, deaf and/or mute (盲聋喑哑难), (vii) difficulty of having worldly knowledge and intelligence to debate (世智辩聪难), (viii) difficulty of being born before a Buddha or after a Buddha (生在佛前佛后难).
Note [7]: Upoṣatha (布萨): On Upoṣatha Days, the 15th and last day of every lunar month, Bodhisattva Preceptors must recite these Ten Heavy And Forty-Eight Light Bodhisattva Precepts (十重四十八轻菩萨戒) for repentance (for wrongs done), reflection (to keep doing well) and resolution (to do better) before Buddhist shrines. One should recite on a high seat while others listen, with all in their robes.
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