緇門警訓 3.7

3.7

問曰。略僧史求事端其故何也。答曰。欲中興佛道令正法久住也。曰方今天子重佛道。崇玄門。行儒術。致太平已中興矣。一介比丘力輪何轉。而言中興佛道耶。答曰。更欲助其中興耳。苟釋氏子不知法。不修行。不勤學科。不明本起。豈能副帝王之興乎。或曰。子有何力令正法久住乎。答曰。佛言。知法知摩夷護持攝受。可令法不斷也。又曰。諸師已廣著述。何待子之為耶。答曰。古人著述用則闕如。會不知三教循環終而復始。一人在上高而不危。有一人故。奉三教之興。有三教故。助一人之理。且夫儒也者。三王以降則宣用而合宜。道也者。五帝之前則冥符於不宰。昔者馬史躋道在九流之上。班書拔儒冠藝文之初。子長欲反其扑。而還其淳尚帝道也。孟堅思本其仁而祖其義。行王道焉。自夏商周至于今。凡幾百千齡矣。若用黃老而治。則急病服其緩藥矣。由此仁義薄禮刑生。越其禮而逾其刑。則儒氏拱手矣。釋氏之門周其施用。以慈悲變暴惡。以喜捨變慳貪。以平等變冤親。以忍辱變瞋害。知人死而神明不滅。知趣到而受業還生。賞之以天堂。罰之以地獄。如範脫土。若模鑄金。邪範漏模寫物定成其寢陋。好模嘉範傳形必告其端嚴。事匪口談人皆目擊。是以帝王奉信群下歸心。草上之風翕然而偃。而能旁憑老氏兼假儒家。成智猶待於三愚。為邦合遵於眾聖。成天下之亹亹。復終日之乾乾。之於御物也。如臂使手。如手運指。或擒或縱。何往不臧邪。夫如是則三教是一家之物。萬乘是一家之君。視家不宜偏愛。偏愛則競生。競生則損教。已在其內自然不安。及已不安則悔損其教。不欲損教則莫若無偏。三教既和故法得久住也。且如秦始焚坑儒術。事出李斯。後魏誅戮沙門。職由寇謙之崔浩。周武廢佛道二教。矜衒已之聰明。蓋朝無正人。唐武宗毀除寺像。道士趙歸真率劉玄靖同力謗誣。李朱崖影助。此四君諸公之報驗何太速乎。奉勸吾曹相警互防勿罹愆失。帝王不容法從何立。況道流守寶不為天下先。沙門何妨饒禮以和之。當合佛言一切恭信。信于老君先聖也。信于孔子先師也。非此二聖曷能顯揚釋教。相與齊行致君於犧黃之上乎。苟咈斯言。譬無賴子弟無端鬪競。累其父母破產遭刑。然則損三教之大猷。乃一時之小失。日月食過何損於明。君不見。秦焚百家之書。聖人預已藏諸屋壁。坑之令勦絕。楊馬二戴相次而生。何曾無噍類耶。梁武捨道後魏勃興。拓跋誅僧子孫重振。後周毀二教隨牽復之。武宗陷釋門去未旋踵。宣宗十倍興之。側掌豈能截河漢之流。張拳不可暴虎兕之猛。況為僧莫若道安。安與習鑿齒交游崇儒也。為僧莫若慧遠。遠送陸修靜。過虎溪重道也。余慕二高僧好儒重道。釋子猶或非之。我既重他。他豈輕我。請信安遠行事其可法也。詩曰。伐柯伐柯其則不遠。孟子曰。天時不如地利。地利不如人和。斯之謂歟。

A questioner asked: "Why do you compile monastic histories and investigate historical episodes in brief?"
I replied: "I wish to revive the Buddhist way and cause the saddharma to abide long."
The questioner said: "At present, the Son of Heaven honors the Buddhist way, esteems the Daoist portals, and practices the Confucian arts, bringing about great peace, which is already a revival. By what power of a mere bhikṣu could the wheel be turned, that you speak of reviving the Buddhist way?"
I replied: "I only wish to aid in that revival. If the sons of the Śākya clan do not understand the Dharma, do not engage in practice, do not diligently study the subjects, and do not comprehend their original origins, how could they match the emperor's flourishing initiative?"
Someone asked: "What power do you have to cause the saddharma to abide long?"
I replied: "The Buddha said: 'Understanding the Dharma, understanding the mātṛkā, protecting, upholding, and gathering them in can prevent the Dharma from being cut off.'"
He also asked: "The various masters have already written extensively; why wait for your efforts?"
I replied: "The writings of the ancients were deficient when put to practical use. They simply failed to understand that the three teachings circulate, ending and beginning again. When the One Person is above, he is high without peril. Because there is the One Person, he promotes the flourishing of the three teachings; because there are the three teachings, they assist in the governance of the One Person. Furthermore, as for Confucianism: from the Three Kings onward, it was promulgated for practical use and was appropriate. As for Daoism: prior to the Five Thearchs, it silently tallied with non-governance. In the past, Sima [Qian]'s history elevated Daoism above the Nine Streams; Ban [Gu]'s history singled out Confucianism to head the Treatise on Literature. Zichang wished to return to unhewn simplicity and restore purity, esteeming the Way of the Thearchs. Mengjian reflected on making benevolence primary and righteousness ancestral, putting into practice the Way of the Kings. From the Xia, Shang, and Zhou down to the present, how many hundreds of thousands of years have elapsed? If one uses Huang-Lao to govern, it is like taking a slow-acting medicine for an acute illness. From this, benevolence and righteousness grow faint, while ritual and penal law arise. Once people overstep ritual and transgress penal law, the Confucians merely fold their hands. The gate of the Śākya clan is comprehensive in its application: with compassion it transforms cruelty and evil; with sympathetic joy and equanimity it transforms stinginess and greed; with equality it transforms enmity and affection; with forbearance it transforms anger and harm. It understands that when a person dies, the conscious spirit is not annihilated; it understands that reaching a destiny, one receives karmic retributions and is born again. Rewarding them with heavenly realms, punishing them with hells—it is like a mold casting clay, or a die casting metal. A crooked mold or a leaky die, when shaping an object, will certainly produce something ugly; a fine die or an excellent mold, when transmitting a form, will inevitably present it as upright and dignified. These matters are not mere talk; all witness them with their own eyes. For this reason, emperors revere and believe in it, and the multitudes submit their hearts. The wind over the grass bends it all at once. Yet [Buddhism] can also rely on Laozi on the side and make concurrent use of Confucianism. Achieving wisdom still relies on three fools; governing a state must follow the numerous sages. Effecting the world's untiring endeavors, and resuming the day-long diligent labor, when applied to governing things, is like the arm directing the hand, or the hand moving the fingers: capturing or releasing, wherever it goes, how could it not be good? Thus, the three teachings are the possessions of one single family; the Lord of Ten Thousand Chariots is the ruler of that one family. Looking upon one's family, one must not show partiality. If there is partiality, contention arises; if contention arises, the teachings are harmed. Residing within, one naturally becomes unsettled; when one is unsettled, one regrets having harmed one's teachings. If one does not wish to harm the teachings, there is nothing better than being impartial. Once the three teachings are in harmony, the Dharma can abide long. Moreover, consider how the First Emperor of Qin burned [the books] and buried the Confucians alive: this matter originated with Li Si. The Later Wei slaughtered the śramaṇas: the responsibility lay with Kou Qianzhi and Cui Hao. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou abolished the two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism: he was boasting of his own cleverness, which occurred because the court lacked upright men. Emperor Wuzong of the Tang destroyed monasteries and statues: the Daoist Zhao Guizhen led Liu Xuanjing in joining forces to slander and falsely accuse them, while Li Deyu secretly assisted. How exceedingly swift was the retribution experienced by these four rulers and these ministers! I respectfully exhort our cohort to warn and safeguard one another so as not to incur faults and transgressions. If emperors do not tolerate us, upon what can the Dharma be established? Moreover, the Daoist current preserves its treasures and does not seek to be first under heaven; what harm is there if śramaṇas yield with courtesy to harmonize with them? One should conform to the Buddha's words: 'Revere and trust all.' Have faith in Lord Lao, the former sage; have faith in Confucius, the former teacher. Were it not for these two sages, how could the Śākya teaching be made manifest, marching alongside them to elevate the ruler above Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor? If one opposes these words, it is like unruly scoundrels fighting without cause, implicating their parents, ruining their estates, and suffering punishment. However, harming the great principles of the three teachings is merely a temporary, minor loss. When the sun and moon pass through an eclipse, how does that diminish their brightness? Do you not see: when Qin burned the books of the hundred schools, the sages had already hidden them inside the walls of houses; when it buried them to exterminate them utterly, the Yang, Ma, and two Dai scholars were born one after another. How were there ever no survivors? Emperor Wu of Liang abandoned Daoism, yet it flourished vigorously in the Later Wei. The Tuoba clan slaughtered monks, yet their descendants revitalized them. The Later Zhou destroyed the two teachings, and immediately afterward they were restored. Wuzong crushed the Śākya gate, and before his heel could turn, Xuanzong revived it tenfold. How could a tilted palm block the flow of the Milky Way? A raised fist cannot overcome the ferocity of tigers and rhinos. Furthermore, among monks none was like Dao'an: Dao'an associated with Xi Zuochi, revering Confucianism. Among monks none was like Huiyuan: Huiyuan saw off Lu Xiujing, crossing Tiger Creek, esteeming Daoism. I admire how these two eminent monks liked Confucianism and esteemed Daoism; yet the sons of Śākya may still criticize them. Since I respect others, how could others look down on me? Please trust that the deeds of Dao'an and Huiyuan are worthy of emulation. The Book of Odes says: 'Carving an axe handle, carving an axe handle; the pattern is not far off.' Mencius said: 'The timeliness of heaven is not as good as the advantages of earth; the advantages of earth are not as good as harmony among people.' Is this not what is meant?"