佛祖統紀 44.13

44.13

初諸暨縣令潘華。依普賢懺法不令人捕江湖內魚。是年十月。奉詔還闕。夜夢江湖中魚為人形者數萬。號哭沸天。皆云長者去矣。吾眾不免烹矣。華異之作夢魚記以囑後來宰邑者（四明法智法師為跋。載教行錄）○臣寮言。愚民無知佞佛過度。謂捨財可以邀福。修供可以滅罪。蠹害國政宜加禁止。上謂宰臣曰。佛教使人遷善。誠有其益。安可禁之。且佛法所至甚廣。雖荒服諸國皆知信奉。唯道教中原有之。然不甚盛。王旦對曰。頃歲虜使登開寶塔。瞻禮甚虔。誓當戒殺。及至上清宮不復屈膝。是知四夷唯重佛而不敬道也。上曰然。

Earlier, Pan Hua, Magistrate of Zhuji County, relying on the Samantabhadra Repentance Ritual, forbade people from catching fish in the rivers and lakes. In the tenth month of this year, he received an edict to return to the imperial palace. At night, he dreamt of tens of thousands of fish in the rivers and lakes in human form, wailing loudly to the skies, all saying: "The Elder is leaving! We shall not escape being boiled!" Pan Hua was astonished and composed the Record of the Dream of Fish to entrust it to subsequent county magistrates (Dharma Master Fazhi of Siming wrote a colophon for it, recorded in the Record of Teachings and Practices). Court officials stated: "The ignorant populace lack knowledge and flatter the Buddha to excess, claiming that relinquishing wealth can court blessings and performing offerings can extinguish sins; this harms and undermines the governance of the state and ought to be prohibited." The Emperor said to his chief ministers: "Buddhism causes people to turn toward goodness; it truly brings benefit. How could it be prohibited? Furthermore, the reach of the Buddha's Dharma is extremely vast; even the various kingdoms of the barren regions know to believe and revere it. Only Daoism exists in the Central Plains, yet it is not very flourishing." Wang Dan replied: "In recent years, when barbarian envoys ascended the Kaibao Pagoda, they paid homage with great devotion and vowed to abstain from killing; but when they arrived at the Shangqing Palace, they would not bend their knees. Thus we know that the four barbarian peoples only venerate the Buddha and do not respect Daoism." The Emperor said: "Indeed."