Why Does the Eight Precepts Observance Prohibit Applying Fragrant Flowers or Perfumes to the Body?

This issue should be approached from the opposite perspective: why do many people enjoy applying fragrant flowers to their bodies? What is the significance of such anointing? Why do men and women adorn and groom themselves? Sentient beings, lacking an awakened mind, fail to reflect on their own and others' daily behaviors and expressions. They do not question themselves, instead following their habitual tendencies and indulging every thought, unaware of the nature of these thoughts. Ultimately, all thoughts of sentient beings boil down to the view of self as the body and the view of self as the mind, collectively forming the view of self. Due to the profound depth of this self-view, it manifests constantly and everywhere. There is no intention to conceal it, nor the ability to do so or restrain it. Unaware that this is erroneous and a wrong view, they fall into the pit of birth and death, unable to extricate themselves, making it difficult even for the Buddha to rescue them.

Regarding the body as the self is called the view of self as the body. Sentient beings subconsciously and unconsciously constantly attend to their physical forms in every situation. They are concerned with how others perceive them, evaluate them, accept them, like them, and revere them. Consequently, they unconsciously seek to attract others' attention and notice. Those who are extremely meticulous about their appearance all harbor the view of self as the body. Behaviors like preening, affected gestures, professional smiles, frequent touching of hair or hands, wiping the face, adjusting clothing, and numerous small movements all reveal a person's view of self as the body. The sensation of the body cannot be ignored for even a minute; one can never forget the body at any time. This clearly shows how deeply entrenched the view of self as the body is among sentient beings.

If one understands what the view of self as the body is, they can observe whether others possess it and to what degree of severity. Then they can discern whether this person has severed the view of self as the body, whether they are a virtuous spiritual guide, and whether their teachings can lead to the eradication of the view of self and guide you towards liberation. Because sentient beings are generally ignorant and unwilling to study the Buddhist sutras, they lack correct judgment and are easily deceived, mistaking the false for the true, wasting immense time and energy on erroneous paths.

Not knowing the mental and physical state, the mental and physical manifestations, of having severed the view of self, whether they are teachers or listeners, they cannot conceal their own views of self as the body and view of self, nor do they know how to conceal them. Their pretense is unconvincing. Teachers also know that sentient beings are ignorant and do not understand, so they do not deliberately disguise or conceal themselves. It's evident that it's the ignorant guiding the ignorant; no one can escape the pit of ignorance. The reason deceivers flourish in the world is because the soil of the world is suitable—suitable for survival, suitable for propagation. This suitable soil is the ignorance and lack of understanding of sentient beings. Therefore, it is the karma of sentient beings that attracts hypocrites and draws them near.
So, returning to the main topic, the reason the Buddha established precepts to restrain the physical, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings was to enable them to subdue their incorrect physical, verbal, and mental actions, to subdue their view of self as the body and view of self. This lays the foundation for severing the view of self, for realizing the mind and perceiving the true nature, and also for achieving meditative concentration. Therefore, if a person is unwilling to receive and uphold the precepts, does not abide by the precepts, meditative concentration will not arise. Without subduing one's own mind and reducing the view of self, one cannot sever the view of self or realize the mind and perceive the true nature.

Those without meditative concentration, who do not uphold the precepts, yet claim to have attained the fruits of enlightenment, realized the mind, and perceived the true nature—what fruits have they attained? What mind have they realized? What nature have they perceived? Therefore, it is not surprising why some who guide others towards attaining the fruits and realizing the mind advocate that followers should accommodate afflictions, discard the form of precepts, and no longer uphold precepts with form. It is because their own afflictions are very heavy. Deceiving all sentient beings by treating them as fools is an extremely unwise act. After all, the Saha world is the Buddha's land; sentient beings are the Buddha's people. With the Buddha's great compassionate heart, how could he abandon his care and deliverance of sentient beings? How could he fail to support them? How could he allow sentient beings to be maliciously deceived?