佛祖統紀 35.50

35.50

A commentary says: In the Han era, the building of Buddhist shrines and the practice of Buddhist rites among the common people began with this Master Ze. I once read this passage together with an elderly Confucian scholar, who laughed and said, 'For a gentleman-scholar to have later generations record that he studied Buddhism—is that not disgraceful?' I, Zhipan, replied, 'Is not one who studies Buddhism a person who does good? If a gentleman-scholar causes historians to designate him as treacherous, flattering, rapacious, cruel, or even disloyal and unfilial—that indeed should be considered disgraceful! What disgrace can there be in studying Buddhism and doing good?' The elderly Confucian smiled and nodded in agreement.