佛祖統紀 47.19

47.19

十二年。左修職郎詹叔義。上財賦表。乞住賣度牒朝廷從之。時臨安府。乞度牒修天竺大士殿。勅給錢五萬緡。謂侍臣曰。朕觀古者人主。欲除釋老二教。或毀其像或廢其徒皆不及久。往往愈熾。今不放度牒則自可漸銷而制勝。

In the twelfth year, Gentleman for Managing Affairs Zhan Shuyi presented a memorial on revenue and taxation requesting an end to the sale of ordination certificates; the court complied. At that time, Lin'an Prefecture requested ordination certificates to repair the Great Being Hall at Tianzhu, and an imperial decree granted fifty thousand strings of cash instead. The Emperor said to his attendant ministers: "I observe that when ancient rulers wished to eliminate the two teachings of Buddhism and Daoism, they either destroyed their statues or abolished their followers, but none succeeded for long, and often they became even more flourishing. Now, if we do not release ordination certificates, they can naturally diminish gradually and be overcome."