佛祖統紀 48.26

48.26

十年。臣寮上言。國家優禮元勳近貴戚里聽陳乞守墳寺額。蓋謂自造屋宇自置田產。欲以資薦祖考。因與之額。故大觀降旨不許近臣指射有額寺院著在令甲。凡勳臣戚里有功德院。止是賜額蠲免科敷之類。聽從本家請僧住持。初非以國家有額寺院與之。邇年士夫一登政府。便萌規利指射名剎改充功德。侵奪田產如置一莊。子弟無狀多受庸僧財賄用為住持。米鹽薪炭隨時供納。以一寺而養一家。其為污辱祖宗多矣。況執政之家所在為多。若人占數寺。則國家名剎所餘無幾。官中一有科需。則必均諸人戶。豈不重為民害。臣愚欲望叡旨申嚴舊制。應指占勅額寺院。並與追正仍從官司請僧。庶以杜絕私家交通寺院賄貨之弊。制可。天台沙門思廉致書于杜清獻公曰。佛囑國王大臣護持佛法。而反破壞佛法者有一事最為要。朝廷立法許大臣為祖父以家財造寺乞額。所以薦福於先亡也。今昧者為之則不然。以祖父玉體之重不能捐財買山。既已奪取伽藍之地以為墳。而又欲影占數寺稱為功德。舉寺中所有諸物而有之今日發米。明日發茶笋。又明日發柴炭。發竹木。甚至於月奉水陸之珍。一有亡僧。則必掩取其物歸之私帑。甞聞時貴之言曰請過功德。一針一草皆我家之物。哀哉彼誠不知常住物業亡僧財物皆屬三寶。侵奪之者。若主若僕必招苦報。其於安厝祖父之體魄。寧不貽三塗之惡報乎吁占奪伽籃欺君也。葬父僧地陷父也。自為不法賊己也。以不法教子弟累人也欺君者不忠。陷父者不孝。賊己者不智。累人者不仁。如此以為人。是誠何人哉。今名勝道場效尤而奪取者。幾遍諸郡。一屬功德。則使庸謬之輩以居之。方竭力奉承之不暇。又寧能辦清供以安廣眾乎。以故尋師問道者翩翩南北。但能時事之不然而已。區區愚衷欲望大丞相明察積弊檢準舊法。凡宰執之家除四明大慈七山。史氏自造請額合格外自餘占奪有額舊寺者。專令臺部置司行下諸郡從實供析悉與拘回。並從所屬州郡紿帖住持。仍釐正在前侵占山林屋宇歸還各寺。子弟有敢與住持交通如前侵占者。許雜人密告臺部追捕幹史斷刺。號令住持勒令罷道。清整法門。申明朝憲。誠有在於大丞相奉行之力。不為物論動搖為可耳。

In the tenth year, the court officials submitted a memorial: "Our state extends exceptional courtesy to founding ministers, close relatives, and imperial in-laws, permitting them to petition for temple plaques for ancestral graves. This was meant for cases where they built the halls themselves and purchased the fields themselves, desiring thereby to aid and commend their deceased ancestors, and therefore plaques were granted to them. Thus, an imperial decree during the Daguan reign period forbade close ministers from aiming for temples that already possessed plaques, making it a statutory law. Whenever meritorious ministers and imperial in-laws have merit cloisters, it only means the granting of a plaque, exemption from levies and taxes, and the like, allowing them to invite monks on their own to serve as abbots; it was never intended that existing temples with state-bestowed plaques be handed over to them. In recent years, as soon as scholar-officials enter the executive administration, they hatch schemes of self-interest and set their sights on famous monasteries, converting them into merit cloisters and seizing their lands as if establishing personal estates. Their degenerate scions accept bribes from mediocre monks to install them as abbots; rice, salt, firewood, and charcoal are requisitioned and delivered at all times, supporting a whole family with a single temple. How greatly this defiles and disgraces their ancestors! Furthermore, executive officials' families are numerous everywhere; if one person occupies several temples, then few of the famous monasteries of the state will remain. Once the government has tax demands, these will inevitably be distributed among ordinary households; how does this not heavily harm the people? We foolish ministers desire that an imperial decree be issued to enforce the old regulations strictly: all temples with imperial plaques that have been pointed out and occupied should be recovered and set right, and monks should still be invited through official authorities, hoping thereby to eradicate the abuse of private families colluding with temples and receiving bribes." The decree approved it. Silian, a Tiantai monk, sent a letter to Du Qingxian (Du Fan), saying: "The Buddha entrusted kings and great ministers to protect and maintain the Buddha-Dharma. Yet among those who conversely destroy the Buddha-Dharma, there is one matter that is most crucial. When the court established the law permitting ministers to build temples with their own family wealth for their ancestors and petition for plaques, it was to transfer merit to the deceased. Nowadays, the benighted who do this act otherwise: considering the noble physical remains of their ancestors, they cannot bear to spend money to purchase a mountain, and having already seized a saṃghārāma's land for a tomb, they further wish to shadow-occupy several temples under the name of 'merit cloisters.' They appropriate every single item in the temple for themselves: today sending for rice, tomorrow for tea and bamboo shoots, the next day for firewood and charcoal, for bamboo and lumber, and even monthly demanding delicacies of water and land. As soon as a monk passes away, they are sure to conceal and confiscate his belongings, returning them to their private treasuries. I once heard the contemporary grandees say: 'Once it has been claimed as a merit cloister, every single needle and blade of grass is the property of my family.' How lamentable! In truth, they do not know that the permanent property of the temple and the assets of deceased monks all belong to the Three Jewels. Those who usurp and plunder them, whether masters or servants, will inevitably incur bitter retribution. In laying to rest the bodily remains of their ancestors, would this not bequeath the evil retribution of the three wretched realms? Alas! Usurping a saṃghārāma deceives the sovereign; burying a father in monastic ground ensnares the father; engaging in lawlessness harms oneself; and teaching scions lawlessness brings ruin to others. One who deceives the sovereign is unloyal; one who ensnares his father is unfilial; one who harms himself is unwise; one who brings ruin to others is unbenevolent. To act as a human being in this way—what kind of person is this, truly? Today, those who follow this evil precedent and seize famous and excellent bodhimaṇḍas have spread throughout almost all prefectures. Once a temple becomes a merit cloister, mediocre and blundering sorts are installed in it; barely having time to flatter and fawn upon their patrons with all their might, how could they prepare pure offerings to settle the great assembly? For this reason, those who seek teachers and inquire about the Path wander aimlessly back and forth between north and south, only able to lament that the affairs of the times are not as they should be. The humble and foolish wish of this person is that the Grand Chancellor clearly examine these accumulated abuses and inspect and follow the old laws: for the families of grand chancellors and vice chancellors, except for the seven mountains of Daci in Siming where the Shi clan built them themselves and petitioned for plaques in conformity with the standards, as for all other old temples with imperial plaques that have been usurped, specially order the censorate and ministries to establish an office to dispatch orders to all prefectures to submit truthful and detailed reports, confiscate them all back, and have all letters of appointment for abbots issued through the relevant prefectures and commands. Furthermore, rectify the mountains, forests, and buildings that were previously occupied, returning them to each temple. If there are scions who dare to collude with abbots and occupy property as before, permit ordinary people to secretly report them to the censorate and ministries to arrest the managing retainers and brand them as criminals, and proclaim orders that the abbots be forced to defrock. To purify and order the gates of the Dharma and to clarify and enforce the dynastic statutes truly rests upon the vigor of Your Excellency the Grand Chancellor's execution; let it not be shaken by popular chatter, and that will be well."