佛祖統紀 39.69

39.69

述曰。高祖之順承天命也。以沙門景暉有預記。乃立像造寺建齋禁殺。遽遽然無敢後。一旦惑傅奕之妖言。遂欲以佛法為無用而沙汰之。既而內難卒發。詔已下而不行。太宗臨朝大弘斯化。鴻池瑞石讖文昭然。觀其屢朝譯經列聖製序。建仁王之高座注般若之真乘。受戒講經問道聽法。鑄像建剎試經度人。斯皆天性與能起於宿稟。誠知此道有助國救世之功。為修身治心之法。故能與孔孟之學並行而不悖也。至言其歷代尊僧之禮。則於古為尤異。故崇其位則不使稱臣。重其德則加之爵秩。分亡物則悉依僧律。罰有過則唯稟內科。自非石讖所謂七佛八菩薩之出應世間。焉能相繼崇尚之不絕乎。

The Commentary says: When Gaozu followed and received the Heavenly Mandate, because the śramaṇa Jinghui had given an advance prophecy, he erected images, built temples, established vegetarian feasts, and prohibited killing, showing such urgency that he dared not lag behind. Yet once bewitched by Fu Yi's monstrous words, he then wished to treat the Buddha-Dharma as useless and purge it. Soon after, internal turmoil suddenly erupted; the edict had already been issued but was not put into effect. When Taizong presided over the court, he greatly propagated this transformation. The prophetic writing on the auspicious stone of Hongchi was clearly evident! Look at the repeated translations of scriptures across courts and the prefaces composed by successive sages; the erection of high seats for the Benevolent King and the commentaries on the true vehicle of Prajñā; the receiving of precepts, lecturing on scriptures, inquiring after the Way, and listening to the Dharma; the casting of images, building of monasteries, testing on scriptures, and ordaining of people. All these derived from their innate nature and abilities, arising from predispositions of past lives. Truly knowing that this Way possesses the efficacy to aid the state and save the world, serving as the method for cultivating the person and governing the mind, they were therefore able to run parallel with the teachings of Confucius and Mencius without contradiction. As for the etiquette of honoring monks through successive reigns, it was especially extraordinary compared to antiquity: in venerating their status, they were not made to call themselves subjects; in respecting their virtue, they were granted titles and ranks; in distributing a deceased monk's belongings, all followed the monastic Vinaya; in punishing their transgressions, they relied solely on the internal disciplinary code. Had they not been what the stone prophecy called the 'seven Buddhas and eight bodhisattvas' manifesting in response to the world, how could this successive veneration have continued without end?